Qualitativ Research Interview

Interview

• Inter view – (from French “Entrevue”) an exchange of views between two people in a conversation about a topic that concerns them both.

• The interdependence of human interaction and knowledge production is the main theme in the qualitative research interview .

Interview

• Journalistic interview are means for documenting and reporting important events in the community

• Therapeutic conversations aim to improve people's life situation

• The research interview aims to produce knowledge

• Sometimes difficult to distinguish these

• The interview as a crafts - learned through practice

• The interview as knowledge production – relational conversations, contextual , linguistic ,

narrative and pragmatic • The interview as a social practice – The Interview Society

The research interview

• Survey Interview• Qualitative research interviews– Seeking to understand the world as seen from the

respondents– Produce social knowledge - through interaction between

interviewer and respondent• The quality of the produced data depends on the interviewer's

skills and knowledge on the topic

• Research interview involves a cultivation of conversation skills, skills that most people possess by virtue of our ability to ask questions

Aspects of the qualitative research interview

• Life world: the issue is the interviewee’s life world

• Meaning: The purpose is to record and interpret the meaning

• Qualitative: Obtain qualitative knowledge through common language. Not quantify.

• Descriptive: collect open and nuanced descriptions of her world

• Specified: specific situations and events is obtained, not general opinions.

• Conscious naivety: the interviewer openness to new and unexpected phenomena

• Focused: The interviewer focuses on specific themes, neither tightly structured with standardized questions or no control.

• Ambiguity: look for ambiguity

• Change: interview process may provide new insights and awareness, she can change their descriptions and interpretations during the interview

• Sensitivity: different interviewers may elicit different statements depending on their sensitivity and knowledge on the topic.

• Interpersonal situation: knowledge obtained is produced through interaction

• Positive experience: a successful interview may provide a new insight into their own situation

Characteristics of interview based knowledge

• Knowledge is produced• Knowledge is relational• Knowledge is dialogue based• Knowledge is contextual• Knowledge is linguistic• Knowledge is narrative• Knowledge is pragmatic

• Craft• Knowledge production• Social practise

Research interview

• Interview as unskilled labor• Interview as a craft• Interview that contingent of professional

expertise• Interview as art

7 phases of an interview study

• Tematization– Formulate the purpose of the survey. Clarify why and

what questions before you ask how (ie select method)• Planning– Plan your study and take into account all seven stages.

• Interview– Perform the interview on the basis of an interview

guide• Transcription

• Analyzing– Determining the method of analysis

• Verification– Examine the findings generelizanility, reliability

and validity• Reporting– Communicated in a form that takes into account

the ethical aspects and readable product

Interview questions

• Introductory question– Can you tell me ... What happened when ...

• Follow-up question– Interested listening and monitoring

• Probing questions– Can you say more about this? More detailed

examples• Specified questions– What were your thoughts at that point?

• Direct questions– The interviewer introduce topics and dimentions

• Indirect questions– How do you think the other students perceived the

• Structure questions– The interviewer takes responsibility for the direction

of the interview• Silence– Getting time to associate and reflect

• Interpretative questions– Do you mean that ... Can the expression .. Surface?

The art of probing

• The choice of method is based on knowledge about the topic of the survey, the methodological choices, their ethical implications and options' expected consequences to interview the project as a whole

Interview types

• Computer Supported interviews• Focus Group Interviews• Factual interviews• Concept Interviews• Narrative interviews• Discursive interviews• Confrontational interviews

Observation and fieldwork

• Observation of people in situ, finding them where they are, staying with them in some role which, whilew acceptable for them, will allow both intimate observation of certain parts of their behaviour, and reporting it in ways useful to social science but not harmful to those bobserved (Hughes 2005)

Fieldwork

• Fieldwork is a form of inquiry which one is immersed personally in the ongoing social activities of some individual or group for the purposes of research. Fieldwork is charecterized by personal involvement to achieve some level of understanding that will be shared with others (Wolcott 2005)

Observation vs Participatory Observation

• Observation is when you are watching other people from the outside. – For example, you may attend an annual meeting

of a company and watch the meeting as an observer. However, you will take no part in the activities of the annual meeting – you are essentially a spectactor.

• There is a little, if any, interaction between you and the people you are studying.

• Participant observation is when you not only observe people doing things, but participate to some extent in these activities as well.

• The main idea is that you are talking with people and interacting with them in an attempt to gain an understanding of their belifs and activities from the inside.

• The idea is that by immersing themselves in the society and culture, a better understanding will be gained- they will start to see things from the people’s point of view.

• The idea is that by immersing themselves in the society and culture, a better understanding will be gained- they will start to see things from the people’s point of view.

• Observasjon er når du ser på andre mennesker fra utsiden. For eksempel kan du delta på et årsmøte i et selskap og se på møtet som observatør . Men vil du ta del overhodet i aktivitetene til årsmøtet - du er egentlig en spectactor . Det er en liten, om noen , samspillet mellom deg og de du studerer.

Fieldwork concepts (Spradley (1980)

1. Space: the physical space or place2. Actor: the people involved3. Activities: a set of related acts that people do4. Object: the physical things that are present5. Act: single actions that people do6. Event: a set of related activities that people carry out7. Time: the sequencing that takes place over time8. Goal: the things people are trying to accomplish

9. Feeling: the emotions felt and expressed