"Making Sense of Qualitative Research: The Qualitative Research Interview"
This article mentioned
three types of interview techniques used in qualitative research; structured,
semi-structured and unstructured.
Structured interviews was briefly mentioned as it often is used in
quantitative research.
Unstructured and semi-structured were discussed further as well as the
importance of them. There were
also ethical and technical issues discussed in the closing of the article.
The authors explain
that an unstructured interview process typically involves the researcher
observing the interviewee, taking notes and then possibly becoming part of the
activity that is being observed.
This process also takes place over some time and involves 1-2 key
interviewees. Historically, this
type of interviewing has been used in the field of anthropology.
A semi-structured
interview is the most commonly used form of interview in qualitative research
and can occur with only one person or with a group of people. The interview typically consists of a
set of questions with which the interviewer has prepared but the interview is
not solely determined by these questions.
Through the course of the interview there may be some spontaneous
conversation which is prompted by the open ended questions that the interviewer
has prepared. Of the different
types of semi-structured interviews the individual in-depth interview is the
most widely utilized tool for qualitative research.
The individual
in-depth interview begins with building rapport between the interviewer and
interviewee. Rapport is important
in the success of interviewing so that the interviewee feels safe and
comfortable which will enable them to fully participate in the interview
process. The authors discuss four
different stages of rapport building which include apprehension, exploration,
co-operation, and participation.
The apprehension phase includes feelings of nervousness about the
situation. The interviewer would
be wise to use open ended questions which address the research question at hand
and also be cautious regarding how the questions are asked. The exploration stage is characterized
by engagement from the interviewee which leads them to the co-operation phase
when they begin to feel some benefit from the interview process and are
comfortable. Finally, the
participation phase involves the greatest level of rapport and is a time when
the interviewee begins to be the teacher in the process regarding the question
that has been posed.
Finally, the article
discusses technical and ethical issues in completing qualitative research by
using the individual in-depth interview.
Technical issues include malfunctioning equipment when tape recording,
accuracy of transcription and the use of computer software for data analysis. Ethical issues include confidentiality,
reducing unintentional harm, providing clear and accurate information regarding
the research being conducted and the interview process and exploitation of the
interviewee.
I thought that this article was interesting in that it gives practical knowledge for interviewing. It named stages that I had not thought of in those particular terms but I knew exactly what the authors meant. For example, they used the term "saturation" for when you realize that the interview is pretty much over, you're not getting any new information and it's time to wrap things up.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the information about the "co-operative phase" which the authors say that the participants are not worried about offending one another and both are enjoying the process of the interview. This reminded me of interviews and conversations I’ve had with older adults, and also liked where the authors say about this phase, “the interviewee takes on the role of guiding and teaching the interviewer.” It made me think about the relationship and interview process in the books “Having Our Say” about the African American sisters who were centenarians and interviewed by a white woman and also in a book I read more recently called “Life is So Good” about the almost centenarian “poster boy” for adult literacy. He learned to read when he was 98. He had never had the chance since he’d been working since he was 4 years old.
I thought this article was beneficial before conducting our interviews in our communities. I never really thought about casual conversations as interviews but you gain so much information from people and they are more relaxed to talk with you. Gaining this qualitative information can leads to more fully understanding what a community is concerned with and what the community believes to be their assets. This means of collecting information takes some of the "edge" off the interviewer and interviewee. It becomes a collaborative conversation that information is gained.
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