Social Research Methods

1. Alan Bryman Social Research Methods Chapter 20: Interviewing in qualitative research Slides authored by Tom Owens

2. Qualitative interviews… are less structured/standardized take the participant’s viewpoint encourage ‘rambling’ off the topic are more flexible seek rich, detailed answers aim to understand rather than to generalize Differences between structured and qualitative interviews Page 470

3. Unstructured interview Few, loosely defined topics Open-ended questions to allow free response Conversational style Semi-structured interview List of specific topics to cover (interview guide) Flexible question order and phrasing Unstructured or semi-structured? Page 471

4. A student comments….. Page 471

5. Have a logical but flexible order of topics Focus on research questions: ‘what do I need to know about?’ Use comprehensible and relevant language Avoid leading questions Record ‘face sheet’ information (name, age, gender, position etc) Preparing an interview guide Pages 472, 473

6. Preparing for the interview • Make yourself familiar with the interviewee’s world, so that you will be able to understand their remarks. • Get a good quality tape recorder and microphone. • Try to arrange a quiet setting for the interview. • Learn how to be a ‘successful’ interviewer (Kvale, 1996) Page 473

7. Kvale’s criteria of a successful interviewer • Knowledgeable: familiar with the focus of the interview. • Structuring: gives purpose for interview; rounds it off. • 3. Clear: asks simple, easy, short questions; no jargon. • 4. Gentle: lets people finish; gives them time to think. • 5. Sensitive: listens to what is said and how it is said. • 6. Open: responds to what is important to interviewee. • 7. Steering: knows what he or she wants to find out. • 8. Critical: is prepared to challenge what is said. • 9. Remembering: relates what is said to what has previously been said. • 10. Interpreting: clarifies and extends meanings of interviewees’ statements. Note: Being balanced and ethically sensitive are criteria added by Bryman. Tips and skills Page 475

8. How did the interview go (was interviewee talkative, cooperative, nervous, well-dressed/scruffy, etc.?) Where did the interview take place? Did the interview open up new avenues of interest? What was the setting like (busy/quiet, many/few other people in the vicinity, new/old buildings)? Make notes after the Interview Page 476

9. Formulating questions for an interview guide Figure 20.1 Page 476

10. Introducing (“Tell me about…”) Follow-up Probing Specifying (“What happened next?”) Direct Indirect (“What do most people think about…?”) Structuring (“Let’s move on to…”) Silence Interpreting (“Do you mean that…?”) Kinds of questions Kvale (1996) Pages 476-478

11. Audio-recording and transcribing Researcher is not distracted by note-taking Can focus on listening and interpreting Corrects limitations of memory and intuitive glosses (Heritage, 1984) Detailed and accurate record of interviewee’s account Opens data to public scrutiny Tape recorder or mini-disk recorder? Transcription machine Selective transcription saves time Recording and transcription Tips and skills Page 482

12. Life history interview Subject looks back across their entire life Reveals how they interpret, understand and define the social world (Faraday & Plummer, 1979) Shows how life events have unfolded Naturalistic, researched or reflexive (Plummer, 2001) Oral history interview Subject reflects on specific events in the past Testimonies of ‘unexceptional’ social groups Special types of qualitative interview Pages 488-491

13. The in-depth, face-to-face interview has become the paradigmatic ‘feminist method’ (Kelly et al, 1994) Unstructured or semi-structured rather than structured interviews (Oakley, 1981): Indefensible for women to ‘use’ other women Non-hierarchical research relationship Rapport and reciprocity Possible tension between researcher’s interpretation and women’s own perspective Feminist approaches to interviewing Pages 491-493

14. Seeing through others’ eyes Learning the native language Taken for granted ideas more likely to be revealed Access to deviant or hidden activities Sensitivity to context of action Flexibility in encountering the unexpected Naturalistic emphasis Advantages of participant observation over qualitative interviewing Pages 493, 494

15. Finding out about issues resistant to observation Interviewees reflect on past events / life course More ethically defensible Fewer reactive effects Less intrusive Longitudinal research (follow-up interviews) Greater breadth of coverage Specific focus Advantages of qualitative interviewing over participant observation Pages 494-496