1 - QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING • There are opportunities required for probing. • A 6.

Communication between interviewers - Ensure

good return rate is important (speed). similarity and evenness of coverage across interviews -
Interview
• When respondents are not fluent in the native Developments must be communicated
➢Interviewing is a form of questioning characterized language of the country, or where they have difficulties 7. Participant management
by the fact that it employs verbal questioning as its with written language. - It is important to keep the participant on-
principal technique of data collection. • Immediacy board during the period before the appointment of
➢Interviews are employed by people in everyday life, the interview
but as a scientific tool of social research, or better as a How to conduct qualitative interviews?
method of data collection, interviewing is different • PREPARATORY STAGE • This involves such things as:
with regard to its preparation, construction, and 1. Research conceptualization and development a. Writing letters thanking the participant for agreeing
execution in that it is prepared and executed in a 2. Preparation of the interview guide to take time while reminding them of the date, time,
systematic way. - skeletal outline of the interview and place of the interview
➢ Interviews basically consist of asking questions, - the interview guide should structure the b. Using courtesy phone calls the day before or the
listening to individuals and recording their responses. questions or topics to be covered in a natural, sensible, morning of the interview to remind the participants of
➢ Interviews allow participants to provide rich, and helpful sequence the interview and to check whether any problem/issue
contextual descriptions of events. has arisen
➢ Interviews are a systematic way of talking and Tips for preparing interview guide: c. providing participants with some background details
listening to respondents and are another way to collect a. Read the literature and have a good grasp of your about the research and its purpose together with the
data from individuals through conversations. topic ethical arrangements involved in the research
➢ Kvale (1996) regarded interviews as “an interchange b. Refer to your research questions and ask: WHAT 8. The preparation/selection of the interview location
of views between two or more people on a topic of SPECIFIC INFORMATION DO I WANT TO GET FROM THE
mutual interest, sees the centrality of human INTERVIEW? • QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW STAGE
interaction for knowledge production, and emphasizes c. Start drafting your questions.  “The interviewer must continually make quick
the social situatedness of research data.” • Use open questions. choices about what to ask and how, which aspect
• Do not use leading questions. of the participant’s answer to follow up – and
Why do we need to conduct interview? d. Start with broad questions that will make the which not; which answers to interpret – and which
Why interview? interview at ease and encourage them to give their not.
• The most obvious way of finding the information is to perspectives  Interviewers should be knowledgeable in the
ask someone who may be able to help. e. In the middle section, ask more detailed questions topics investigated, master conversational skills,
• Interviews also have a large number of potential f. In the concluding section, seek clarification. and be proficient in language with an ear for their
advantages for a qualitative researcher. Specifically, in subject’s linguistic style.
an information setting some of the advantages are 3. Suitability of the sample for the in-depth  The interviewer should have a sense for good
especially significant. interviewing stories and be able to assist the subjects in the
• There are many reasons to use interviews for 4. Interview trialing (piloting) unfolding of narratives.” (Kvale, 1996, p. 147)
collecting data and using it as a research instrument. 5. Inter-interview comparison - Issues which have
Gray (2004) provided the following reasons: emerged in earlier interviews may be significant to the 1. Recording the interview
current interviews • critical to producing good quality transcriptions
Gray (2004) provided the following reasons: The following are key considerations:
• There is a need to attain highly personalized data. • Use the best quality recorder available
 • Take precautions to make sure that you have ➢ (How does note-taking affect the interview - The interviewer should thank the interviewee
the capacity to record a lengthy interview on your process?) formally
recorder ➢ For novice researchers, taking down notes - The interviewer should enter a debriefing
• The quality of the microphone used will complicates an already difficult task and, perhaps, stage in which the interviewee’s experience of the
affect the quality of the recordings should be avoided until the other skills involved in interview is discussed. This may involve:
• Extraneous noise in the environment affects qualitative interviewing has been mastered • Allowing the interviewee to ask any question
the clarity of the recording ➢ The qualitative interviewer does not do a lot of they wish about the research
• Video recording is more difficult and also talking during the course of the interview itself • Checking that the interviewee remains happy
more intrusive on the interview situation than sound ➢ The qualitative interviewer does not interrupt the that the recording can be part of the research
recording interviewee’s replies • Providing names and contact details of
organizations, etc. which might be able to deal with
2. Orientation stage of the interview ➢ During the qualitative interview, the researcher is
issues of a counseling or therapeutic nature arising
➢ The major spoken contribution of the researcher in largely listening to the replies to the questions and
from the interview
a qualitative interview is the introductory stage of the issues raised by the interviewee.
• Obtaining feedback about the interview
interview ➢ During the qualitative interview, the researcher is
content and interviewing methods employed
➢ In this, the interviewer begins the process of actively building a mental picture and understanding of
engaging with the interview by: what the interviewee is saying. It is essential that the
What happens after the qualitative interview?
• Introducing self researcher engages with the replies of the interviewee
These are post-interview considerations to bear in
• Explaining the purpose of the interview and ➢ The qualitative interviewer needs to be able to use
mind:
what it is hoped to achieve during the session silence effectively.
• Support for the interviewer
• Indicating the typical amount of time the ➢ Questions in the qualitative interview are structured
✓ the interviewer should have a confidant
interview will take in ways which encourage extensive responses in inhibit
with whom he/she may work through the interview
• Explaining the ethical basis of the research simple yes or no reply
experience
and the interview in general, that the interviewee is
4. Bringing the interview to a conclusion ✓ Social and emotional support
free to withdraw at any stage and ask for their data to
➢ The end of a qualitative interview is not signalled • Data protection and management
be destroyed
simply by the final topic on the interview guide being • Data transcription
• Allowing an opportunity for the interviewee
reached.
to ask any question before the interview starts
• Throughout this process encouraging the ➢ The satisfaction of the researchers and the
interviewee to speak and respond extensively; interviewee is an additional important criterion.
explaining that it is the interviewee’s views, The following are some of the steps which may be
perceptions, responses, etc. that the researcher is associated with the finishing of the interview:
interested and that time is not constrained in terms of - The interviewer may wish to take a short
giving answers. “time-out” break to review the interview guide in light
of how the interview proceeded
3. What qualitative researchers do (and do not - The interviewee may be given the
do) when interviewing opportunity to discuss things that he/she thinks are of
➢ The interviewer does not normally take detailed some relevance but which have not emerged in the
notes interview