Exploring Qualitative Methods

The Blackwell Guide to Research Methods in Bilingualism and Multilingualism by L. Wei and M. Moyer, pp. 158-176., 2008

for what purpose?

(Part V: Chapter 2). In Cooper, H., Camic, P.M. , Long, D.L., Panter, A.T., Rindskopf, D., Sher, K.J. (Eds.), American Psychological Association Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology (Vols 1-3). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association., 2012

In this chapter, I have described different types of interviewing; identified and illustrated in more detail the central techniques of research interviewing (particularly with regard to the semistructured format); and discussed in depth several additional considerations such as design, ethics, recording, and transcription. I hope to have shown that interviewing research can be a rewarding endeavor. Good interviewing, however, is not easy and, in examining the central techniques, I have offered examples of where my own research interviewing could have been better. My technique has improved with practice, though, and my reminder to myself and to my students is that there is never the perfect interview, although there are definitely better and worse instances. I hope also to have shown that interviewing research is at an exciting methodological juncture in that we can no longer be unsophisticated about the status of interviews as data. Creative developments are required that allow interviews to be conducted and analyzed in ways that recognize their situated and coconstructed nature and at the same time are informative on the topic of the research.

2016

Interviews gehoren zur Grundausstattung qualitativer Sozialforschung; insbesondere Face-to-Face-Interviews erachten viele als Gold-Standard zu deren Durchfuhrung. Dennoch werden in vielen Projekten auch Telefoninterviews genutzt. Und auch wenn verschiedentlich Vor- und Nachteile von Telefoninterviews diskutiert werden, geschieht dies verstreut uber unterschiedliche Disziplinen; es fehlt eine zusammenhangende und umfassende Einordnung. In diesem Beitrag versuche ich, zu einer systematischen Reflexion beizutragen, indem ich mich dezidiert mit dem Konzept des Kontextes aufseiten der Interviewenden bzw. der Interviewten auseinandersetze. Denn nur durch die Prufung der zentralen Kontextdimensionen konnen Interviewer/innen informierte und reflektierte Entscheidungen daruber treffen, welche Interviewart in einem Projekt zum Einsatz kommen sollte. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1602156

2005

This paper distinguishes a series of contingent and necessary problems that arise in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of open-ended or conversational qualitative interviews in psychological research. Contingent problems in the reporting of interviews include:(1) the deletion of the interviewer;(2) the conventions for representing interaction;(3) the specificity of analytic observations;(4) the unavailability of the interview set-up;(5) the failure to consider interviews as interaction.

Qualitative research design can be complicated depending upon the level of experience a researcher may have with a particular type of methodology. As researchers, many aspire to grow and expand their knowledge and experiences with qualitative design in order to better utilize diversified research paradigms for future investigations. One of the more popular areas of interest in qualitative research design is that of the interview protocol. Interviews provide in-depth information pertaining to participants' experiences and viewpoints of a particular topic. Often times, interviews are coupled with other forms of data collection in order to provide the researcher with a well-rounded collection of information for analyses. This paper explores the effective ways to conduct in-depth, qualitative interviews for novice investigators by employing a step-by-step process for implementation. Key Words: Informal Conversational Interview, General Interview Guide, and Open-Ended Interviews Qualitative research design can be complicated depending upon the level of experience a researcher may have with a particular type of methodology. As researchers, many aspire to grow and expand their knowledge and experiences with qualitative design in order to better utilize a variety of research paradigms. One of the more popular areas of interest in qualitative research design is that of the interview protocol. Interviews provide in-depth information pertaining to participants' experiences and viewpoints of a particular topic. Often times, interviews are coupled with other forms of data collection in order to provide the researcher with a well-rounded collection of information for analyses. This paper explores the effective ways to conduct in-depth, qualitative interviews for novice investigators by expanding upon the practical components of each interview design. Categories of Qualitative Interview Design As common with quantitative analyses, there are various forms of interview design that can be developed to obtain thick, rich data utilizing a qualitative investigational perspective (Creswell, 2007). For the purpose of this examination, there are three formats for interview design that will be explored which are summarized by Gall, Gall, and Borg (2003): (a) informal conversational interview, (b) general interview guide approach, and (c) standardized open-ended interview. In addition, I will expand on some suggestions for conducting qualitative interviews which includes the construction of research questions as well as the analysis of interview data. These suggestions come from both my personal experiences with interviewing as well as the recommendations from the literature to assist novice interviewers.

Community Practitioner, 2010

Semi-structured interviewing is an important tool for gathering data in qualitative research. This paper explores some of the joys and challenges associated with research interviewing. It discusses some of the basic skills required to do interviewing well, some of the difficulties associated with interviewing on a practical and emotional level, and how to address them. Being a good interviewer in a research context means to be aware of the responsibility for the participants' wellbeing as well as one's own. Good listening skills and emotional control are among the most crucial skills to develop. This paper summarises some of the skills needed to remain or become a professional, empathetic and ethical interviewer in the context of community practice. If some basic guidelines are followed and combined with practice, the craft of interviewing can become an art.

2002

MEXTESOL JOURNAL , 2022

Qualitative inquiry is an effective way to explore the perceptions of participants and unlock their experiences. In social science research (e.g., applied linguistics, sociology, sociolinguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics), there is a strong tendency among qualitative researchers to collect their required data through interviewing. Interviews are useful tools to glean the related data from the participants, and different types of interviews are commonly used to delve into the participants' perceptions. In this study, we address three types of interviews (structured, semi-structured, and unstructured), and compare them in detail. In addition, we focus on effective ways to form questions, offer a brief review of qualitative sampling, and provide guidelines for conducting an interview in qualitative studies. Finally, two examples of interviews with different structures are put forth to explore the process and to compare them. Having done this, we will juxtapose both the process and content to explore different types of questioning during the process of an interview. This study suggests the potential differences among different types of interviews. It also suggests how to select the best type of interview to collect the required data based on the nature of the study and research questions. Resumen La investigación cualitativa es una forma eficaz de explorar las percepciones de los participantes y descubrir sus experiencias. En la investigación de las ciencias sociales (por ejemplo, lingüística aplicada, sociología, sociolingüística, psicología, psicolingüística), existe una fuerte tendencia entre los investigadores cualitativos a recopilar los datos necesarios mediante entrevistas. Las entrevistas son herramientas útiles para recopilar los datos de los participantes, y comúnmente se utilizan diferentes tipos de entrevistas para profundizar en las percepciones de los participantes. En este estudio abordamos tres tipos de entrevistas (estructuradas, semiestructuradas y no estructuradas) y las comparamos en detalle. Además, nos enfocamos en formas efectivas de formular preguntas, ofrecemos una breve revisión del muestreo cualitativo y proporcionamos pautas para realizar una entrevista en estudios cualitativos. Finalmente, se proponen dos ejemplos de entrevistas con diferentes estructuras para explorar el proceso y compararlos. Una vez hecho esto, yuxtapondremos tanto el proceso como el contenido para explorar diferentes tipos de preguntas durante el proceso de una entrevista. Este estudio sugiere las posibles diferencias entre los distintos tipos de entrevistas. También sugiere cómo seleccionar el mejor tipo de entrevista para recopilar los datos requeridos según la naturaleza del estudio y las preguntas de la investigación. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attibution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.

Edward Kwesi Acquah

The study aims to examine the effectiveness of interviews as a tool for data collection in qualitative research. Qualitative research methodology was used for the study after a careful review of literature. The study revealed that in effective interviews, pertinent questions are always asked before objective and factual ones. It was also discovered that to conduct interviews effectively in a comfortable setting, it is essential for the interviewer to let the respondents speak freely and at their own pace while making appropriate comments and asking probing questions as needed. Additionally, the researcher needs to guarantee that the interviewees are at comfortable and not in any danger. The study revealed that iterative data analysis ensures that the researcher constantly refers back to the data they have collected to guarantee that the information is valuable and reliable. The contact between the researcher and the respondent during the interview process allows for iteration while examining the data. The study further revealed that to reduce the chance of bias and improve the rigor of the data, the interviewer must be aware of and take into account these issues. Additionally, the researcher must ensure that the respondents understand the goal of the study, maintain their anonymity, and ensure their confidentiality by keeping their identities a secret.

Q ualitative research is concerned with the nature, explanation and understanding of phenomena. Unlike quantitative data, qualitative data are not measured in terms of frequency or quantity but rather are examined for in-depth meanings and processes (Labuschagne, 2003). Interviews are widely used as a data collection tool in qualitative research. They are typically used as a research strategy to gather information about participants' experiences, views and beliefs concerning a specific research question or phenomenon of interest (Lambert and Loiselle, 2007). Sandelowski (2002) purports that one-to-one interviews are the most commonly used data collection tools in qualitative research.

2007