Qualitative Interviews

Question 1

What is the definition of an interview?

Answer 1

Generally refers to data collection methods based upon posing a series of questions. Whether this is conducted face-to-face/ over the phone/ or online

Question 2

What are the three types of interview structures?

Answer 2

Highly structured, semi-structured, unstructured

Question 3

What is a highly structured interview?

Answer 3

Standardised, less bias, surveys

Question 4

What is a semi-structured interview?

Answer 4

Some flexibility but is also standardised

Question 5

What is an unstructured interview?

Answer 5

Often associated with ethnography

Question 6

What order should questions come in?

Answer 6

Surface level questions should come before attitudinal/ evaluative/ explanatory questions

Question 7

What are Kvale (1996) 9 kinds of questions?

Answer 7

Introducing (tell me about), follow-up, probing, specifying (what happened next), direct, indirect (what do most people think about), structuring (lets move on to), silence, interpreting (do you mean that)

Question 8

What is a content mapping question?

Answer 8

They are designed to open up the research topic, and to identify dimensions or issues that are relevant to the participant

Question 9

What is the aim of an in depth interview?

Answer 9

To achieve both breadth and coverage across key issues and depth of coverage within each issue

Question 10

What is ground mapping?

Answer 10

The first questions to ‘open up’ a subject

Question 11

What is dimension mapping?

Answer 11

Used to focus the participant a bit more narrowly on particular topics or concepts, they may be used to signpost, structure and direct the interview

Question 12

What are perspective widening questions?

Answer 12

Used to understand the interviewee’s perspective fully, they often need to have the opportunity to give more than their first thoughts on a subject, they are thus questions which stimulate further thought/ ensure comprehensive coverage

Question 13

What are content mining questions?

Answer 13

Designed to explore the detail which lies within each dimension, to access the meaning it holds for the interviewee and to generate an in-depth understanding from the interviewee’s point of view

Question 14

What is an amplificatory probe?

Answer 14

Encourages participants to elaborate further

Question 15

What is an exploratory probe?

Answer 15

A key role of qual research is to explore the views and feelings that underlie descriptions of behaviour, events or experiences and that help to show the meaning that experiences hold for interviewees

Question 16

What are explanatory probes?

Answer 16

One of the hallmarks of the in-depth interviews is probing for reasons, asking ‘why’?

Question 17

What is a clarificatory probe?

Answer 17

Asking for clarification on something someone has already said

Question 18

What is life history interviewing?

Answer 18

Subject looks back across their entire life, reveals how they interpret, understand and define the social world (Faraday & Plummer, 1979), shows how life events unfolded, naturalistic; researched or reflexive (Plummer, 2001)

• popular with criminologists, identifying turning points in a criminal career

Question 19

What is an oral history interview?

Answer 19

Subject reflects on specific events in the past, testimonies of ‘unexceptional’ social groups

Question 20

What is a mobile/ walk in interview?

Answer 20

Two people go for a walk and record the interview as they go, more comfortable

Question 21

Why is audio recording and then transcribing a goof way to carry out an interview?

Answer 21

1. Researcher is not distracted by note taking
2. Can focus on listening and interpreting
3. Corrects limitations of memory and intuitive glosses
4. Detailed and accurate record of interviewee’s account
5. Opens data to public scrutiny

Question 22

What is a limitation of audio recording & transcribinh?

Answer 22

Some participants may not want to be recorded