Interviewing - II

1
Interviewing - II

• INFO 272. Qualitative Research Methods
• 5 March 2008

2
the Interview Guide

• Your list of questions (try to keep it short!)
• provides a structure, serves as a memory jog -- a
  checklist not a script

3
the Interview Guide

• think about question groupings and sensible
  ordering, but dont hold yourself to that order
• chronological
• specific to general
• most to least important

4
the Interview Guide

• demographic facts (ask at the end) age,
  education, ethnicity, place of birth, occupation,
  religion
• meta-questions - what questions do you think I
  should have asked? Do you have any questions for
  me?
• change as needed after a couple of interviews

5
Interviews on Sensitive Subjects

• Ordering of questions
• Body language and vocal inflection
• Dont apologize, dont flinch, dont squirm

6
Quality Criteria

• the extent of spontaneous, rich, specific, and
  relevant answers from the interviewee
• the shorter the interviewers questions and the
  longer the subjects answers, the better
• Kvale, pg. 145

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Quality Criteria

• the degree to which the interviewer follows up
  and clarifies the meanings of the relevant
  aspects of the answers
• the interviewer attempts to verify his or her
  interpretations of the subjects answers in the
  course of the interview
• Kvale, pg. 145

8
Quality Criteria

• the interview is self-communicationit is a
  story contained in itself that hardly requires
  much extra descriptions and explanations
• Kvale, pg. 145

9
Exercise

• Some good and bad interviews

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Common Mistakes

• Ignoring prime opportunities for probing
• Interrupting
• Unshakeable assumptions
• Embedding answers in your questions