Qualitative Interviewing Lecture 4 PDF

Interviewing in Qualitative Research Department of Government  Today’s Lecture Why use interviewing Verbal data Elite Interviewing Semi-structured interviewing Unstructured interviewing Advantages and disadvantages Department...

Interviewing in Qualitative Research Department of Government  Today’s Lecture Why use interviewing Verbal data Elite Interviewing Semi-structured interviewing Unstructured interviewing Advantages and disadvantages Department of Government  Uses of Interviews An encounter between a researcher and a respondent – Face-to-face: one on one, in person interview – Telephone: researcher interviews by phone – Online (Zoom, Teams): researcher interviews through video conferencing software. – Group: researcher interviews participants in a group “interviewing is the preferred tactic of data collection when in fact it appears likely that it will get better data or more data or data at less cost than other tactics.” Lewis Anthony Dexter, Elite and Specialized Interviewing Department of Government  Using Interviews Flexible and adaptable and create space for the interviewee to shape the direction of the conversation Rich and detailed qualitative information about an event/process/institution/point of view – Provide historical background information – Subjective meanings and understandings – Create verbal data Important ethical considerations Department of Government  Types of Qualitative Interviews Semi-structured interview Unstructured interview Intensive interview Qualitative interview In-depth interview Focused interview Focus group Group interview Oral history interview Life history interview Elite Interviewing Department of Government  Key Aspects – Decide who you want to see – Get access and arrange interviews – Conduct the interviews – Transcribe the interviews (manual, technology) – Analyse the results Department of Government  Elite Interviewing Respondent is an expert Some respondents may be of greater “importance” Balance of knowledge favours the expert How do you decide on the interview question list? Department of Government  Unstructured Interviewing Free-flowing conversation ‘where would you like to begin our conversation’ Exploratory conversations Allows for great flexibility Poses reliability questions Department of Government  Semi-Structured Interviewing List the topics you need answered ‘I want to start with the day you decided to put yourself forward as a candidate’ Prioritise Try not to be too rigid Probing Important if more than one interviewer, or more than one case study https://www.menti.com/almj7cvuynou Department of Government  Interview Contexts, Modal Effects More than one interviewee More than one interviewer Telephone: – cheaper, easier to supervise, reduces interviewer characteristic bias – Some people don’t have landlines any more/ mobile phones, people with hearing impairments, interviews tend to be short 20-25 minutes, lower response rates particularly since the development of caller ids etc, no observation of respondent possible, visual aids can’t be used Meeting software – As above: cheaper, easier to supervise, – More difficult to develop a rapport? Computer Assisted Interviewing: – Computer assisted telephone interviews (advantages with filter questions) – Online questionnaires Department of Government  Conducting Interviews Know your interview schedule (when, where, how) Introduce your research with a credible rationale (written or oral) Try to develop a rapport with the interviewee Give clear Instructions Prepare your interview guide The answers must address your research question. Think about questions from the perspective of the interviewee (mostly no theory, language, meaning) Department of Government  Question Order Early questions should be related to the topic of the research Relevant questions should be asked as early as possible to keep the interviewees attention Embarrassing or sensitive questions should be left until later If many questions need to be asked, they should be grouped into sections General questions should precede specific ones. Question order is contentious and draws strongly on psychological research Department of Government  Types of questions (see Kvale, 1996; Bryman, 2021) Introduction questions Follow-up questions (elaborate on an answer) Probing (see next slide) Specifying questions (what effect did it have?) Direct questions Indirect questions (what do other people think) Structuring questions (now we are going to discuss another element) Silence Interpreting questions (how do you assess your role in the event now) Department of Government  Probing Used when interviewees need help with answering a question Interviewee does not understand the question » Standardised additional information can be presented Interviewee does not sufficiently answer the question » Could you say a little more about that » Are there any reasons do you think » Mmmm Prompting Department of Government  Interviewer Training Interviewers are trained for a number of reasons, to reduce error and to inform them on the topic of the research – Need to avoid interviewer related error – Providing standardised information – Appropriate styles of probing and prompting – Reading exactly what is said – Giving no extra information – Trained to listen Department of Government Bryman (2021: 432) describes a successful interviewer as knowledgeable, structuring, clear, gentle, sensitive, open, steering, critical, remembering, interpreting Department of Government  Recording and transcription You don’t need to remember everything You can review the content and see if any new interpretation/meaning presents itself. The contents can be re-used/analyzed by others The contents can be analyzed using statistical tools. Manual transcription or automated tools Good practice is ongoing transcription Department of Government  How do you analyze the data? 1. 2. 3. Department of Government  Advantages Disadvantages Provides “indirect” Useful when information filtered through the views of participants cannot be interviewees observed directly Provides information in a designated “place” rather Participants can than the natural field provide historical setting People are not equally information articulate and perceptive Gives the researcher Researcher’s presence control over the line of may bias responses questioning Department of Government  References Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W., and Layton-Henry, Z., (2004) Research Methods in Political Science. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Harrison, L., (2001) Political Research, An Introduction. Routledge, London. Bryman, A. (2021) Social Research Methods. USA: SAGE. Department of Government  Discussion Questions What are the differences between structured and semi-structured interviews? What skills would an interviewer need in qualitative interviewing? What kinds of research questions can be answered using qualitative interviews? Department of Government