Interviewing in Qualitative Research

“We interview people to find out directly from them what we can’t know from observation.”


Types of interviews
Informal conversation
General interview guide
Standardized open-ended interview

Informal conversation
AKA unstructured interviewing, ethnographic interviewing
Spontaneous generation of questions in the natural flow of interaction
Maximum flexibility
Unstructured does not mean unfocused
Interviewer must “go with the flow”
Data collection varies
Some interviewers do not take notes, but write down what they learned later
Some take notes or even use a tape recorder.
Strengths: Flexibility, Spontaneity, Responsiveness to individual differences and situation changes
Weaknesses: Requires a great amount of time to collect systematic information, May be susceptible to interviewer effects, leading questions, biases, difficult to pull together and analyze data.
Formal Interviews
Outlining a set if issues that are to be explored with each respondent before the interview begins
Advantages:
Interviewer makes best use of limited time
Interviewing is more systematic and comprehensive
Can be flexible in the specificity of important issues and the extent to which it answers your questions
Standardized Open-ended
A set of questions carefully worded and arranged with the intention of taking each respondent though the same sequence and asking the same questions with essentially the same words
Standardized Open-ended
Strengths:
Same questions are asked
Can compensate fore variation in interviewing skills
Can establish priorities for interview
Used to compare answers to the same questions over a period of time
Makes data anaysis easier
Exact instrument is available for inspection
Can help overcome questions of legitimacy and credibility, limiations of the data can be known.
Weaknesses
Does not permit interviewer to pursue topics unanticipated
Reduces the extent individual differences and circumstances can be queried
Combination of approaches
Combining an interview guide with standardized with key questions offers flexibility in probing and determining when it is appropriate to explore certain subjects in greater depth or a new area
May use conversation

What types of questions to ask
Experience and behavior questions
Opinions and value questions
Feeling questions
Knowledge questions
Sensory questions
Background/demographic questions

Time frame questions
Can make questions different by asking about them as in the past or future
Sequencing questions
Start with non-controversial present behaviors, activities, and experiences,
Follow with opinions and feelings
Knowledge and skill questions need a context
Ask about present, then ask about the same in the past, then possibly broach the future.
How to phrase questions:

Open ended questions never yes or no, questions you can get a significant response to
Horns of a dichotomy
Asking singular questions
Theme the wording used in asking questions can make a significant difference in the quality of the responses elicited.

Clarity of questions:
Ask singular questions
Learn special terms used by people in the setting of the interview
Understand the language participants use among themselves in talking about a setting, activities, or other aspects of life
Avoid using labels use the respondents own terms and clarify them in the interview
Theme use language that is understandable and part of the frame of reference of the person being interviewed

Why: Take care when asking why
Presuppose things happen for a reason that those reasons might or might not be shared

Rapport vs. Neutrality
Rapport is a stance about the person being interviewed (respect)
Neutrality is a stance about the content of what the person says.

Illustrative Examples
Letting the respondent know that you are not interested in the sensational just in the genuine experiences
Share examples from all sides to show that you’re heard it all
Must take caution to avoid leading questions

Role Playing and simulations
Provide a context for the questions to help the respondent hone in on relevant responses
Questions ask the respondent to become an observer

Presupposition Questions
Can increase the richness and depth of the responses
Bypasses an initial step of asking if a person has had such an experience

Prefatory statements and announcements
Alert the interviewee to what is about to be asked to direct awareness and focus attention and to give the respondent time to organize thoughts.

Probes and follow-up questions
Used to deepen the response, increase richness and depth and give clues about the level of depth of responses
Detailed oriented

Process feedback during the interview
Interviewer has a responsibility to communicate clearly what information is desired and why it is important and to let the interviewee know how the interview is progressing
Helpful to maintain the flow of the interview

Support and recognition responses
Common mistake is failing to provide reinforcement and feedback
Words of thanks, feedback and praise.

Maintaining control enhancing quality
Don’t want to jeopardize the quality of the interview
Know what you want to find out
Ask focused questions to get relevant answers
Listen attentively
Give appropriate verbal and nonverbal feedback…
The one shot quezstion
Sometimes things don’t work out as planned
This is the question you ask if you are only going to get a few minutes with the interviewee and it’s the most important question.
If I only had one question to ask what should it have been.
Final or closing questions

How to gather data
Recording the data
Explain the use of the tape recorder to the interviewee
Increase accuracy of the data
Permits the interviewer to be more attentive
Part of the interview is observing the respondent
When not possible to record, notes must be thorough and comprehensive.

Taking notes during the interview
Purpose
Helps to formulate new questions
Can stimulate early insights
Facilitates later analysis
Backup to recorder malfunction
Use key phrases and major points
Helps pace the interview

After the interview
Check the tape to make sure it was functioning properly. If not, make extensive notes immediately go over notes to avoid ambiguity or uncertainty
Check to see if there is a need for clarification or follow up
Record details about setting and observations about interview
Reflect on the quality of the interview data
Critical for reflection and elaboration

Special applications and issues
Think-aloud protocol interviewing
Aims to elicit the inner thoguths or cognitive processes that illuminate what’s going on in a person’s head during the performance of a task
Get people

Focus Group interviews
Interviewing a small group of people on a specific topic
6-10 people
similar background
1-2 hours in length
recognizes that many decisions are made in a social context
discussion though direct interaction among participants
additional comments can be made after one hears what another says
consider one’s views In the context of another.

Focus group interviews:
Advantages
Cost effect
Interactions among participants enhance quality of data
Quick assessment of consistency or diversity of views
Disadvantages/limitations
Umber of questions asked is restricted
Available response time is restrained for any particular individual
Facilitating requires considerable group process skills
Those in the minority ay not speak up
Works best with strangers
Controversial issues are poor topics
Confidentiality is hard to assure
Not good at identify subtle differences
Take place outside of natural setting.

Group interviews
Unstructured conversation interviews that are not focused on particular questions

Cross cultural interviewing
Layers of complexity
Language barriers

To be a good interviewer you must like doing it
Not all interviews are interesting and not all go well