10 - Interviewing in Qualitative Research

Question 1

qualitative interviewing vs quantitative

Answer 1

• less structure, tends to be more open ended
• more interest in interviewee’s perspectives/concerns
• going off tangent is encouraged
• wording and question order may vary between interviews
• wants rich, detailed answers

Question 2

unstructured vs structured interviews

Answer 2

unstructured: at most, memory aid is used (like small set of self prompts), may be a single question.
semi-structured: interviewer has list of questions/topics but interviewee still has leeway as to how to answer. all questions are asked and similar wording is used.
for both: aim is to understand how interviewee interprets issues and events

Question 3

use unstructured interviews if…

Answer 3

…researcher feels a guide would hinder access to worldview
….if research begins with fairly clear, not general, focus
….if more than one person is to carry out fieldwork

Question 4

interview guide

Answer 4

established certain amount of order so that questions flow but allow for flexibility. includes questions/topics that address research question without being too specific, uses language comprehensible and familiar to interviewees, doesn’t ask leading questions, includes prompts to remind record-taking of basic info

Question 5

before an interview….

Answer 5

• be familiar with setting (everyday surroundings of interviewees)
• get reliable tape recorder
• make sure interview takes places in quiet and private setting
• cultivate traits of good interviewer

Question 6

after interview…

Answer 6

make notes about how interview went, where interview took place, any new avenues of interest that resulted from interview, etc

Question 7

types of questions: introducing

Answer 7

ex: “when did you interest in X begin?”

“have you ever…?”

Question 8

types of questions: follow-up

Answer 8

Elaborating on an answer
ex: “what do you mean by that?”
“Yes?”

Question 9

types of questions: probing

Answer 9

elaborating on an answer through direct question
ex: “can you say more about that?”
“in what ways do you not like X?”

Question 10

types of questions: specifying

Answer 10

ex: “what did you do then?”

“how did Mr. X react to what you said?”

Question 11

types of questions: direct

Answer 11

best left to the end of the interview so direction of interview isn’t affected
ex: “do you find it easy to smile at customers?”

Question 12

types of questions: indirect

Answer 12

remember to ask for interviewee’s own opinion first

ex: “what do most people here think of management’s treatment of staff?”

Question 13

types of questions: structuring

Answer 13

ex: “now I’d like to move to a different topic”

Question 14

types of questions: silence

Answer 14

a pause will give interviewee time to reflect/elaborate on answer
pauses that are too long are awkward.

Question 15

types of questions: interpreting

Answer 15

ex: “do you mean…?”

“is it fair to say that you don’t….?”

Question 16

one of the main jobs of the interviewer is….

Answer 16

listening

• be attentive of what is/isn’t being said
• active but not intrusive listening
• do not put too much pressure for answer
• be prepared to cut short line of questioning that makes interviewee uncomfortable

Question 17

initial open-ended questions

Answer 17

ex: “what events led to…?”

“what was your life like prior to…?”

Question 18

intermediate questions

Answer 18

ex: “how do you feel about…?”

“what was the immediate impact of…?”

Question 19

ending questions

Answer 19

ex: “how have your views on X changed?”

“what advice would you give?”

Question 20

vignette questions are good because…

Answer 20

they ground interviewee’s accounts of behaviour with concrete and realistic scenarios

Question 21

“off the record” accounts can be…

Answer 21

incredibly helpful because some may be self conscious of or alarmed at being recorded

Question 22

focus groups

Answer 22

a group interview in which interviewees can speak/interact with one another. fairly unstructured, moderator/facilitator guides session but doesn’t intrude

Question 23

pros of focus groups

Answer 23

+allows researcher to develop an understanding of why people feel the way they do
+allows participants to probe one another’s reasons
+can elicit a wide variety of perspectives on an issue
+participants can challenge/argue other’s views
+opportunity to study how individuals collectively make sense of a phenomenon and construct meaning of it (symbolic interactionism, naturalistic)

Question 24

how many focus groups?

Answer 24

• one might not be enough
• limiting # of groups according to theoretical saturation
• how likely one’s views are affected by sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, or social class

Question 25

how large should the focus group be?

Answer 25

• 6-10 members
• over-recruit to account for no-shows
• larger group if researcher wants to hear numerous brief suggestions
• groups may be separated by sociodemographic

Question 26

intervention in the case of focus groups

Answer 26

• small number of very general questions to guide session
• apparent digressions can reveal something of significance
• if additional knowledge is needed, the subject is embarrassing, or there is limited interest, additional structure is needed
• if in doubt, err on the minimal intervention