Interviews as method qualitative research - · PDF fileInterviews as method ... Purpose of the qualitative research interview ... Qualitative interviewing is meant to be flexible and

Intensive Program DC4AC. Cassino,

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14/05/2014

Prof. Eloisa Lorente-Catalán, PhD 1

Interviews as method of data collection used in

qualitative research

Cassino, 13th May 2014

Prof. Eloisa Lorente-Catalán, PhD

INEFC Lleida

Intensive Program

Developing Citizenship

for Active Cities in Europe (DC4ACE)

Content

I. Introduction

II. Types of research interview

III. Training of the interviewer

IV. Practical issues before doing the interview

V. Carrying out an interview

VI. After the interview

VII. Ethical issues

VIII. Some examples

IX. Summarising. Key points


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What possibilities for doing research do you see in this

picture?

Quantitative vs Qualitative research


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Most qualitative approaches have:

A focus on natural settings

An interest in meanings, perspectives and understandings

An emphasis on process

Observation (participant, non-participant): field notes, reflexive journals. Interviews (semi-structured, unstructured) Documentary analysis

The main methods employed in qualitative research:


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Observation Interviews (semi-structured, unstructured) Documentary analysis

The main methods employed in qualitative research:

Purpose of the qualitative research interview

• To describe and know the meanings of central themes in the life world of the subjects. (Kvale,1996)

• Interviews may be useful as follow-up to certain respondents to questionnaires, e.g., to further investigate their responses. (McNamara,1999)


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Some characteristics of qualitative research interviews

• A far more personal form of research than

questionnaires.

• The interviewer works directly with the respondent.

• The interviewer has the opportunity to probe or ask follow up questions.

• They are time consuming.

• The interviewer is considered a part of the measurement instrument and he/she has to be well trained in how to respond to any problems .

Types of research interviews I

Unstructured

Semi-structured

Qualitative data

Quantitative data Structured


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Types of research interviews II : Unstructured interviews

Do not reflect any reconceived theories or ideas and are performed with little or no organisation.

May simply start with an opening question and then progress upon the initial response.

Very time-consuming and can be difficult to manage, and to participate in.

Types of research interviews III: Semi-structured interviews

A key feature is in the partial pre-planning of the questions.

Still allow for replication of the interviews with others, but are less controlled.

A lot of qualitative research uses semi-structured material.


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Training of the interviewer I

Training is crucial to control the quality of the result.

Organize and rehearse!

Training of the interviewer II

Describe the entire study.

Interviewer needs to know the many ways that they can inadvertently bias the results.

Understand why it is important that they not bias the study.

Take into account practical issues before doing the interview


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Practical issues before doing the interview

Before the interview....

Familiar with the interviewee’s setting


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Before the interview…

Good tape recorder and microphone

Before the interview...

Choose a quite and private place


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Before the interview…

Prepare yourself and rehearse!

Criteria of a qualified interviewer

(Kvale, 1996)

Carrying out an interview

1. Introducing the research

2. Starting the interview

3. Developing rapport

4. During the interview. Some tips

5. Kind of questions

6. Questions to avoid

7. Types of topics

8. Ending the interview

9. After the interview

10. Ethical issues


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Choose a setting with the least distraction. Explain : • The purpose of the interview • Why the participant has been chosen • The expected duration of the interview • Explain the format of the interview

Address terms of confidentiality: • Use the information sheet • Explanation of how the information is confidential • The use of notes or tape recorder, written or

documented oral .

Provide contact information of the interviewer. Allow interviewee to clarify any doubts about the

interview. Prepare a method for recording data, e.g., take

notes, tape recorder…


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2. Starting the interview

2. Starting the interview I

Gradually, unhurried, relaxing…using open-ended questions. Warm-up.

Get the respondents involved in the interview as soon as possible.

Although you should have some pre-planned questions, you must also allow questions to flow naturally, based on information provided by the respondent.

Do not insist upon asking specific questions in a specific order.


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Be aware of the situation and culture of the respondent

Be polite

Don’t judge

Trust and respect

Safe and comfortable environment

(Silverman, 2006)


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4. During the interview. Some tips

4. During the interview. Some tips I

Appear interested in what he/she is saying.

Avoid “yes/no” and leading questions.

Before asking about controversial matters or opinion, first ask about some facts.

Ask questions about the present before questions about the past or future.

The last questions might be to allow respondents to provide any other information they prefer to add and their impressions of the interview.


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4. During the interview. Some tips II

Ask one question at a time.

Attempt to remain as neutral as possible.

Encourage responses.

Be careful about the appearance when note taking.

Occasionally verify the tape recorder (if used) is working.

Don’t lose control of the interview.

Lead the interview

4. During the interview. Some tips III

Use probing questions as:

Would you give an example?

Can you elaborate on that idea?

Would you explain that further?

I’m not sure I understand what you are saying…

Is there anything else?


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4. During the interview. Some tips IV

Try to interpret what you are

hearing, and seek clarity and a deeper understanding from the respondent.

Remain conversational but remember your role is primarily a listener.

There should be smooth transitions from one topic to the next.

Do not force or push the pace unnecessarily, or ‘put words into the participant’s mouth’.

5. Kind of questions

KIND OF

QUESTIONS

INTRODUCING

QUESTIONS

FOLLOW-UP

QUESTIONS PROBING

QUESTIONS

SPECIFYING

QUESTIONS

DIRECT

QUESTIONS

INDIRECT

QUESTIONS

SILENCE

INTERPRETING

QUESTIONS


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6. Questions to avoid

Biased questions.

Double-barrelled questions.

Questions that do not directly relate to what you want to find out.

Confusing or complicated questions.

7. Types of topics in questions

ASKING

ABOUT

VALUES

AND

BELIEFS

BEHAVIOUR

EMOTIONS

FEELINGS

SENSORY RELATIONSHIPS

KNOWLEDGE

DEMOGRAFICS


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7. Types of topics in questions

Behaviors -what a person has done or is doing.

Opinions/values -what a person thinks about the topic.

Feelings -what a person feels rather than what a person thinks.

Knowledge -to get facts about the topic.

Sensory -what people have seen, touched, heard, tasted or smelled.

Background/demographics -standard background questions, such as age, education, etc.

8. Ending the interview

Finish on time if possible, but try to make sure everything has been covered sufficiently.

Arrange with the participant when you will review the transcript material.

Thank the participant for their valuable time.


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9. After the interview

Verify if the tape recorder, if used, worked throughout the interview.

Make any notes on your written notes.

Write down any observations made during the interview

10. Ethical issues

Bloom and Crabtree (2006) consider four ethical issues related to the interview process:

1. Reducing the risk of unanticipated harm;

2. Protecting the interviewee’s information;

3. Effectively informing interviewees about the nature of the study

4. Reducing the risk of exploitation.


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Interview schedule/guide

The “shopping list” in unstructured interviews (adapted from Gibbs, 2011):

1. Decide on research topic

2. Create a list of research questions.

3. Generate list of issues that people can talk about that relate to these questions*

4. Put topics in logical order and like topics together.

5. Use comprehensive language

6. Avoid leading questions

*An example of list of themes

For city Council staff respondents:

- Respondents’ training and role in council.

- How their Council work with community groups.

- Barriers to meeting community concerns related to active transportation.

- Effective strategies and ideas for how the health sector can get involve in advocacy of active transportation.


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For ciclying advocates:

About their advocacy group

Motivations for involvement

How their groups work with council

Barriers for council in meeting their request

Ideas for how the health sector could get involved in advocacy

*An example of list of themes

Some examples

A bad and a good interview. Following Gibbs’s (2011) advises and Kvale’s list of qualification criteria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t-_hYjAKww













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Kvale’s list of qualification criteria of an interviewer (Kvale, 1996)

Knowledgeable: is thoroughly familiar with the

focus of the interview; pilot interviews of the kind used in survey interviewing can be useful here.

Structuring: gives purpose for interview; rounds it off; asks whether interviewee has questions.

Clear: asks simple, easy, short questions; no jargon.

Gentle: lets people finish; gives them time to think; tolerates pauses.

Sensitive: listens attentively to what is said and how it is said; is empathetic in dealing with the interviewee.

Open: responds to what is important to interviewee and is flexible.

Steering: knows what he/she wants to find out.

Critical: is prepared to challenge what is said, for example, dealing with inconsistencies in interviewees’ replies.

Remembering: relates what is said to what has previously been said.

Interpreting: clarifies and extends meanings of interviewees’ statements, but without imposing meaning on them.

Balanced: does not talk too much, which may make the interviewee passive, and does not talk too little, which may result in the interviewee feeling he or she is not talking along the right lines.

Ethically sensitive: is sensitive to the ethical dimension of interviewing, ensuring the interviewee appreciates what the research is about, its purposes, and that his or her answers will be treated confidentially


Kvale’s list of qualification criteria of an interviewer













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Summarising. Key points

Interviewing in qualitative research is typically of the unstructured or semistructured kind.

Qualitative interviewing is meant to be flexible and to seek out the world views of research participants.

If an interview guide is employed, it should not be too structured in its application and should allow some flexibility in the asking of questions.

The qualitative interview should be tape-recorded and then transcribed.

As with ethnographic research, investigations using qualitative interviews tend not to employ random sampling to select participants.

References

• Campion, M.A., Campion, J.E., & Hudson, J.P., Jr. (1994) “Structured Interviewing: A Note on Incremental Validty and Alternative Question Types”,Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 998-1002.

• Dicicco-Bloom B, Crabtree BF. (2006) The qualitative research interview. Med Educ. 40(4):314-21.

• Foddy, Willam (1993). Constructing Questions for Interviews, Cambridge University Press.

• Gill, P, Stewart, K, Treasure, E and Chadwick, B (2008) Methods of data collection

• in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. British dental journal, volume 204 no. 6 .

• Groat, L & Wang, D (1996). Architectural Research Methods, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• Kvale, S. (1996) Interviews An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing, Sage Publications

• McNamara, C. (1999) General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews, Minnesota.

• Silverman, D. (2006). Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing Talk, Text and Interaction, 3rd Edition. London: Sage.


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THANKS FOR

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Interviews as method qualitative research - · PDF fileInterviews as method ... Purpose of the qualitative research interview ... Qualitative interviewing is meant to be flexible and