Qualitative Interviews: A How-To Guide to Interviewing in Social Science | Off the Shelf 8

In this episode, we offer a how-to guide to qualitative interviewing in the social sciences. We cover the different types of interviews that exist, highlight some of their uses, and then provide a practical guide to interviewing complete with a number of tips that you can practice in order to become a more competent and confident interviewer.

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Footnotes:

1. While it is common to teach interviewing methods by dividing them into the above taxonomy (e.g., structured, semi-structured, and unstructured), authors like Brinkman (2013) and Parker (2005) are quick to point out that this three-part taxonomy is primarily theoretical and, in practice, interviewing methods should be thought of as a continuum rather than rigid tripartite framework. Brinkman notes, for instance, that “there is no such thing as a completely unstructured interview, since the interviewer always has an idea about should take place in the conversation” (2013, p. 20). To this I would add Parker’s observation that it is nearly impossible to conduct a perfectly structured interview “because people always say things that spill beyond the structure, before the interview starts and when the recorder has been turned off” (2005, p. 53). Consequently, I would advise that students consider the structured/semi-structured/unstructured taxonomy as a teaching tool that helps us better understand interviewing as a technique rather than a set of rules that should be rigidly applied in their fieldwork.

2. Arguably, two of the most common qualitative approaches to this problem that we teach in the classroom are purposeful sampling and snowball sampling. Beginning with the former, in purposeful sampling (see Patton 1989), the researcher does not attempt to represent an entire group through the random selection of a statistically significant number of subjects (aka random sampling). Instead, the researcher chooses subjects individually based on ex ante subjective judgements regarding each subject’s suitability as an informant. This is often used in small-scale qualitative research projects in which few people can serve as informants. Interviewing global experts in a field, for example, or individuals with uncommon, shared experiences limited to a particular group would both provide excellent frameworks for purposeful sampling. By contrast, in snowball sampling techniques, the participants themselves are enlisted as assistants in selecting suitable subjects for future interviews based on their personal experience and local knowledge (Bertaux 1981). This may be suitable in situations in which the research topic is neither politically nor personally sensitive, allowing for contact information to be shared. When using snowball techniques, it is essential that the researcher take steps to minimize the risk of violating the privacy of their participants. For this reason, I often recommend that novice researchers gain approval from an ethics review board (IRB or IEC) before using snowball techniques in the field.

Works Cited:

Bertaux, D. (Ed.). 1981. Biography and Society: The Life History Approach in the Social Sciences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Brinkman, Svend. 2013. Qualitative Interviewing: Understanding Qualitative Research. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

Douglas, Jack. 1976. Investigative Social Research: Individual and Team Field Research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Parker, I. 2005. Qualitative Psychology: Introducing Radical Research. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.

Parker, T. 1996. Studs Terkel: A Life in Words. New York: Henry Holt.

Patton, M. Q. 1989. Qualitative Evaluation Methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Seidman, Irving. 2013. Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences. New York and London: Teacher’s College Press.

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0:00 Introduction
0:25 Defining Qualitative Interviews
1:13 The Difference b/w Structured, Semi-Structured, and Unstructured
2:44 Designing a Research Project
3:32 Making Preliminary Contact with Participants
5:20 How Many People Should You Interview?
7:05 What to do During the Interview
7:45 How to Structure Interview Questions
10:35 The Social and Environmental Context of the Interview
11:16 Conclusion
12:40 Subscriber Info