Interviewing - II

1. INFO 272. Qualitative Research Methods 5 March 2008 Interviewing - II

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 don’t 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 • Don’t apologize, don’t flinch, don’t squirm

6. Quality Criteria • the extent of spontaneous, rich, specific, and relevant answers from the interviewee • the shorter the interviewer’s questions and the longer the subjects’ answers, the better [Kvale, pg. 145]

7. 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 subject’s answers in the course of the interview [Kvale, pg. 145]

8. Quality Criteria • the interview is “self-communication”—it is a story contained in itself that hardly requires much extra descriptions and explanations [Kvale, pg. 145]

9. Exercise • Some good and bad interviews

10. Common Mistakes • Ignoring prime opportunities for probing • Interrupting • Unshakeable assumptions • Embedding answers in your questions