Interviews for Qualitative

Research

Dr Leonie Fleischmann
Leonie.fleischmann.2@city.ac.uk
The purpose of an interview “is to allow us to
enter into the other person’s perspective.
Qualitative interviewing begins with the
assumption that the perspective of others is
meaningful, knowable, and able to be made
explicit” (Patton, 2002:341)
 Outline
• Complexities of interviews
• Types of interviews
• Interview questions
• Positionality
• Interview techniques
 Complexities
• The interview is a staple of social-scientific
research.
• Whilst it may seem straightforward, the
practice of interviewing and the data it
generates pose various challenges:
– Competence of interviewee
– Technical complexities
– Epistemological complexity
(Gubrium et. al., 2012)
 Types of Interviews
Interviews differ depending on the types of
questioning used
Decide this prior to interview in planning
research methods/methodology
• Closed/fixed-response interview
• Open-ended interview – mostly same
questions asked to all interviewees but can
choose how answer
• Informal/conversational interview
The development of the questions you ask takes
into consideration:

• the focus of your inquiry (research question)

• what you want to learn from the person
you're speaking with
• how much time you have and the kind of
access you have
• how much you already know about your
question, and how to manage this knowledge
Research questions vs. interview questions

• Research questions are not the same as interview

questions
• A research question is based in theory and derived
from certain concepts
• These are not suitable for interview questions
• Eg. How do power and privilege affect the role of
internal third party intervention?
– What is your role when you accompany Palestinians?
– Can you describe the relationship between you and the Palestinians you resist
alongside?
– Do any tensions arise during the activities?
 A good question

1) ‘…they elicit full, rich, and personalised

stories from participants, and encourage
them to volunteer their reflections on their
experiences.’

2) ‘…they provide material directly related to

the interview topics’.
(Magnusson and Marecek, 2015:53).
Ways of framing open-ended questions and requests

• Can you tell me about a time when ...?

• Could you tell me what happened when ...?
• Can you give me a specific example of ...?
• I’d like you to tell me about what you did yesterday.
• I wonder if you have ever experienced X.
• What was your experience of X like?
• How do you think X came about?
• I’d like you to tell me about how X happened.
• I’d like to know what you think about X.
(Magnusson and Marecek, 2015:55).
 Positionality
The fact that a researcher’s social, cultural and subject positions
(and other psychological processes) affect:
1. the questions they ask [and] how they frame them
2. their relations with those they research in the field
or through interviews [and] interpretations they
place on empirical evidence
3. access to data, institutions and outlets for research
dissemination; and
4. the likelihood that they will be listened to and heard.
(Gregory et al., 2009:556)
 Reflexivity
• Reflexivity is a process (and it should be a
continuing process) of reflecting on how the
researcher could be influencing a research
project.
• Need to be conscious of our positionality as
researchers and make these explicit within the
research paper through reflexive comments
Interview Techniques
 Interview Techniques
• Good rapport is imperative
• Being a good interviewer means being an
active-listener

• Participants will only talk candidly if they

– Feel comfortable in the space
– Trust the interviewer
– Feel secure about confidentiality
– Believe the interviewer is interested in their story
– Do not feel judged
Beginning
• Put the participant at ease and create a good working relationship
• Pay attention to their language style and adjust yours accordingly
• Introduce the study and goals
– Overview of study
– Why participant chosen
– Procedures
– Privacy issues

Main body
• Engage in active listening - probes
• Keep track of time

Conclusion
• Often comes to a natural close
• Is there anything else you would like to tell me?
• Thank the interviewee
 Recap
• Interviews are not straightforward
conversations between two people
• Technical and epistemological complexities
can affect the quality of the data
• The positionality of the interviewer is
significant and should be reflected upon
 References
• Patton, M.Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (4th
ed.) Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
• Gubrium, J., & Holstein, J. (Eds.). (2012). Handbook of Interview Research:
The Complexity of the Craft. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Gregory, D. et al. (1999). The dictionary of human geography. Oxford:

Blackwell Publishing.

• Magnusson and Marecek (2015). Doing Interview-based Qualitative

Research – A Learner’s Guide. Cambridge University Press