Interview+Considerations

Section 2: Considerations before, during and after an interview
I.) Sampling methods - should be relevant to the study at hand. Most qualitative research uses small samples with common characteristics, and purposive is the most common form.

A.) Purposive Sampling - Targets a particular group of people based on criteria decided by the researcher. The criteria stem from the aim of the study and knowledge of the field in question. The people selected for the study will have certain characteristics in common. Most viable.

B.) Convenience Sampling - Selection is based upon the availability of a group. The selection process involves picking a group of people who are already participating in the activity in question or are in some other convenient capacity to be of use to the study. Moderately viable.

C.) Snowball Sampling - Simple way of sampling in which the researcher asks a participant if they know anyone else who would be able or willing to participate in the study. This method may also enable the researcher to find a population with certain characteristics that may be difficult to locate by other methods. Crane p. 350 - "If a researcher is studying homeless people, it is not possible to have a list of all the homeless people in an area, but if the researcher finds one or two, they may help to locate others." Least viable.

II.) Other considerations

A.) Training of the interviewer - Important to avoid interviewer effects, or the effects caused by the presence of a particular interviewer. Because people are very perceptive to nonverbal cues, an interviewer should be trained to avoid giving them. For example, an unconscious frown could cause the participant to change his/her answer.

B.) Choice of interviewer - People respond differently to male/female interviewers. It is also important to consider the age, gender and ethnicity of the interviewer as compared to the participants.

C.) Interview guide - The planned progression of the interview, as created by the interviewer beforehand. It is essentially a script of the interview, and can be based on previous literature. It is meant to help address ethical considerations, especially when addressing difficult or sensitive topics. It includes a few introductory open-ended questions.

D.) Types of questions:

1.) Descriptive questions - invite the participant to give a general account of something (e.g. "what happened?' "How does that make you feel?")

2.) Structural questions - Allow the participant to identify structure and meaning to make sense of the world (e.g. "What does it mean to your life to suffer from AIDS?")

3.) Contrast questions - Allow the participant to compare events and experiences (e.g. "Do you prefer this city or the one you lived in before?")

4.) Evaluative questions - Ask about the participant's feelings about someone/something (e.g. "Were you happy when you moved to the new house?")

E.) Data recording - Involves the method of recording responses. Using a pen or pencil and paper interrupts the flow of the interview and interfere with eye contact and non-verbal communication. As a result, most interviews are conducted with a recording device (tape or video). However, it might make the participant feel uncomfortable and influence the responses. It is important to inform the participant a recording will be made, explain when and how it will be used, and offer a copy of the transcript or recording.

F.) Transcription of the Data - How the interview is changed into a written from that can be studied. There are two kinds of transcription - verbatim and postmodern transcripts.

1.) Verbatim - Used in most qualitative analysis. This method involves recording the material word for word, but only includes the text of what was said during the interview.

2.) Postmodern - Also records what was said, but includes additional features such as pauses, intonation, volume of speech, incomplete sentences, false starts and laughter.

G.) Brief/Debrief - The participant should be made aware beforehand what the goal of the study is, how it will be accomplished, and asked for informed consent to participate in the experiment. After the interview is concluded, the interviewer must debrief the participant. This involves telling them how the information that was collected will be used, and reminding them of the various ethical guidelines (such as confidentiality, or that they are permitted to exclude statements from the transcript) will be followed. One can also allow the participant to read over and comment on the transcript of the interview.

During an interview, it's important to establish a rapport, or a "trusting and open relationship" between the interviewer and the participant. However, the interviewer must remain within ethical boundaries and not attempt to take advantage of the personal relationship to ask the participant for information that they are not comfortable sharing in or outside of the interview.

The interviewer should always maintain eye contact with the interviewee, and make sure that the recorder is placed in a location so it will record clearly (if a recorder is being used).

Active Listening Technique - restating the participant's responses and integrating them into the interview at a later point. This shows that the interviewer is listening and paying attention to the interviewee.

One should also take into account participant expectations during the interview process. This involves the idea that the participant might have a prior idea of the types of answers that the interviewer is looking for, or in the case of a focus group, might conform to the responses of the group.