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C22Johan Brink IIE21 November

Qualitative research I, InterviewLecture 5

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Agenda

• Structured interview – Chapter 8 • Introducing Qualitative research– Chapter 16 • Qualitative interview: Unstructured, Semi structured &

Convergent– Chapter 18 • Small exercise: Interview Role-play

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Our senses

• Sight (ophthalmoception)

• Hearing (audioception)• Taste (gustaoception) • Smell (olfacoception • Touch (tactioception)

• Objective• Subjective

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Structured interview

Minimize differences• Getting the ‘same’ information

from the respondents• Aggregate answers – quantitative

analysis• Reduce errors: – Inter-interviewer variability:

between interviews– Intra-interviewer variability:

between interviewersStandardize – Questions:

Closed questions– Answers:

Fixed alternatives

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Sources of error1. A poorly worded

question2. The way the question

is asked by the interviewer

3. The way the information is recorded by the interviewer

4. The way the information is processed

IntervieweeInterviewer

1. Misunderstanding on the part of the interviewee

2. Memory problems on the part of the interviewee

3. Motivations, secrecy or reluctance

4. Inability to express

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Conducting interviews

Understand and know the schedule /guide

Explain why – motivate– Present yourself and your institution– Who will use this research – Who are financing this project?– Explain the selection criteria– Confidentiality, voluntary,

participation, identification– ‘Any other questions before we

start’?Setting– Quiet private space –comfortable– Record or take notes? At the end– Be polite - Thank you for your time– Offer access to the result (parts)?

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Conducting interviews

Establishing rapport– A relationship between

interviewer and interviewee– Trust:• Usage• Competence– Confirm & interest– Neutral-positive, no negative

judgmentsPower– Keep quiet– Embarrassment– Lies

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Interview context

Face-to-faceOne-to-oneComfortable

Be flexible– Meetings – where?Be on time/appointmentsKeep the timeClothes & style

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Interview context: Telephone

ProsCheap & QuickDistanceStructured interviewsConsNo observations!Who calls?Who answers?

Be flexible– Call again (on time)ShortKeep the time

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Question order

• The order of questions may have an impact!

• Relevant and motivate by questions related to the topic early

• General question before specific • Question which requires a trustful

relation later– But don’t save them until the very

end!– But questions regarding attitudes

& values are more order dependent than factual!

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Problems with structured interviews• Response set: ‘yeasaying’ and

‘naysaying’• Social desirability– Reframing of questions –

distance from themselves• The phenomenological

critique– Individuals interpret

questions differently– Construct meaning , not pre-

given order

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Introducing Qualitative research interviewInductive– Iterative– Exploratory research– Theory generatingSampling

Single case studyTheoretical saturation

Interpretive– Epistemology: everyone interpret their own

reality– Theoretical, cultural, politically flavoredConstructive – Ontology: the social worlds in the emergent

outcome of interactions between different individuals

– Language: Context dependent, ever changing

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Qualitative process1. General RQ2. Select sites & subjects3. Collect relevant data4. Interpret5. Generate theory –refine6. Write up

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Qualitative research

External reliability– Is difficult due to the replication

of social settingsInternal reliability – Is usually high due to the goal

of reaching shared understanding & interpretations

Internal validity– High due to the closeness

between empirics and theoriesExternal validity – Tends to be low due to the

limited ability to statistically generalize

Valid? Reliable?

Valid & Reliable

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Qualitative research

External reliability– Is difficult due to the replication

of social settingsInternal reliability – Is usually high due to the goal

of reaching shared understanding & interpretations

Internal validity– High due to the closeness

between empirics and theoriesExternal validity – Tends to be low due to the

limited ability to statistically generalize

Confirmability– The interference of personal

values and interpretations (audited by others, self reflection)

Dependability – Keeping track of research phases

(audited by others, self reflection)Credibility– Trustworthiness: Follows good

practices, checked and revised by the studied

Transferability – Thick descriptions provides basis

for judgment of transferabilityAuthenticity– Fairness: Power & different

perspectives, actions & understandings of the studied

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Critique of Qualitative research• Too subjective• Difficult to replicate• Problems of generalizations• Lack of transparency

• Research –subject relationship– Acton research– Collaborative & participatory

research

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The Qualitative interview

• Flexible - Less structured– Gives new insights• Capturing the interviewees

own perspectives• Inductive –explorative

questions & answers• Rich and detailed answers• Elaborate on answers• Restate questions - probe• Listen• Looking• Iterative process –re

interviewing & follow up

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Qualitative interviewing

Unstructured• Just a single question, interest

(or theory in mind)• No theory driven focus at start• Starts often with a narrativeSemi structured• Interview guide– Issues to cover– Pre-set focus

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Tips

• Introduction questions – Please tell me something so I… • Follow up questions – Could you say something more about..• Specifying questions / – What did you do then..• Exemplify – Could you give me an example of …• Indirect questions - What do most of people ..• Silence - Provoke them to continue• Interpretations - Do I get this right when I…• Come back to - Earlier you said…• Closing question – ‘catch all’ – Something more you would

like to add..

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Interview Guide

• Increases comparability• Functions a s memory guide• Less specific than a questionnaire• Order of topics – flow/logics• Think about your RQ –will this actually help you?• Do not use leading questions!• Ask also about ‘facts’ & context

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Qualitative interviewing - StoriesHistory approach– Retro perspective /recall bias– Sense making in hindsightCritical incident technique– Events– What happened?– Who was there? – What happened next?Appreciative inquiry– How would a really good day look like…?– Change management technique from the 80ies– Commitment and enthusiasm for positive changeConvergent interviewing– Start general– Probing questions

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Small exercise: role-play

The role-play interview is about the master program you are participating here at the Business School. Assume that A & B are students at the Batchelor level, interviewing C & D (students at Master level) in order to put together information material to be used by Graduate School as Marketing material during the spring.

• Form groups of 4 students• Take a card each: A,B,C,D (do not show each other!)• A interview either C or D, the other two listen (5 min.)• B interview the other (C or D), the other two listen (5 min)• discuss in the group the different styles of interview – How did it go? +/-, good ideas/practices/tips – Be back here and share your findings with the class

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Small exercise: role-play

• Was it difficult? What was particularly difficult? • Were there any difference in how the interview unfolded

between the interview focusing on factual and the personal information?

• Did someone do anything particularly which made the interviewee reveal a lot on information?

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Task 2

Qualitative methods (Group wise: 3 students/ group) •Put together an interview guideline and perform 3 unstructured interviews (one each) at least 15 min long. Write 2-4 pages description of your research and your analysis.

•Hand in T2: Analyse your results, 2nd December

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