chapter 8 interviewing Flashcards
interview definition
“a face-to-face verbal interchange in which
one person, the interviewer, attempts to elicit information or expressions of opin-ion or belief from another person or persons”
CMC interviewing
e.g. emails. no direct access to informant. computer mediated communications
3 types of interviews
structured
unstructured
semi-structured
strengths of interviewing
- fill knowledge gap
- investigate complex behaviors and motivations
- collect diversity of meanings within a group
- empower people
interview guide/aide memoire
reminder of what you want to ask
list of general issues
based on literature
questions can be crafted in situ
interview schedule
recommended if not experienced
questions can sound out of place though
prompts
should have two prompts per central question
key informant
key person who know about the culture you are interviewing.
steps to make contact for interview
- introduce yourself
- how did you get contact details
- why you want interview
- how long it will take
letter of introdcution
formal letter once informant has agreed for interview. tells about goals, funding of research
critical inner dialogue
constantly analyse what is being said during interview . do you understand what informant is saying
reflective vs. non answering
important difference in interviews. do not fill silence or finish sentence.
closing interview steps
express gratitude
use verbal and non verbal cues for closing interview
verbal cues
- want to add something?
- summarise interview - do you agree these are the points?
- go to chit chat again like the warm up at the beginning
non-verbal interview closing cues
- check watch
- close pen cap
- close notebook
note taking disadvantages
- miss important parts
- difficult for keeping up rapport
- doesn’t seem engaged
- not literal transcript
note taking advantages
- can complement recording e.g. as back up if recording fails
- voice not recognizable if anonymity is very important
- may seem less formal than audio recording device
transcription important points
- name of interviewer and informant at the top
- should be on same day
- counter numbers on paragraphs for cross referencing
- number of interview, date, location, duration of interview
analytical log:
what interview has found in relation to theory
manifest content analysis
visible analysis of interview content. tallying times things were said
latent content analysis
searching document for themes and underlying messages. form of coding
coding
used to sort and retrieve data. Coding can reveal the general sentiment about an issue
positioned subjectivity:
not sure what it is
CMC advantages
- expanded sample
- reduced interviewer effects
- convenient
- reflective responses
- cost saving
- accommodates different time schedules
- visual anonymity
- informant chooses when and where to answer
- no transcription errors
interviewer effect
who you are influences interview. e.g. as a woman people may react differently as they would to a man
disadvantages CMC interviews
- no visual cues
- authenticity concerns
- have to read between lines
- no paralinguistic cues
- less rapport with informant
- requires a lot of time
- need to be literate
paralinguistic cues:
intonations, distress signals in tone, etc.
primary vs secondary questions
primary: opening questions to start discussion
secondary: prompts to engage informant
devils advocate propositions
'’some people have said that’‘… detaching oneself as researchers from controversial opinion. preserves rapport
how to preserve rapport
matching language
matching speech patterns, speed
interview structure types (3)
- funnel structure - general topic to individual informant experience
- pyramid structure – start with easy to answer questions, then deeper reflection questions
- hybrid structure – mix of both
