Qualitative research I, Interview Lecture 5

1. Qualitative research I, InterviewLecture 5 C22 Johan Brink IIE 21 November

2. Agenda • Structured interview • Chapter 8 • Introducing Qualitative research • Chapter 16 • Qualitative interview: Unstructured, Semi structured & Convergent • Chapter 18 • Small exercise: Interview Role-play

3. Our senses • Sight (ophthalmoception) • Hearing (audioception) • Taste (gustaoception) • Smell (olfacoception • Touch (tactioception) • Objective • Subjective

4. 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 interviewers Standardize • Questions: Closed questions • Answers: Fixed alternatives

5. Interviewer Interviewee Sources of error • A poorly worded question • The way the question is asked by the interviewer • The way the information is recorded by the interviewer • The way the information is processed Misunderstanding on the part of the interviewee Memory problems on the part of the interviewee Motivations, secrecy or reluctance Inability to express

6. 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)?

7. Conducting interviews Establishing rapport • A relationship between interviewer and interviewee • Trust: • Usage • Competence • Confirm & interest • Neutral-positive, no negative judgments Power • Keep quiet • Embarrassment • Lies

8. Face-to-face One-to-one Comfortable Be flexible Meetings – where? Be on time/appointments Keep the time Clothes & style Interview context

9. Pros Cheap & Quick Distance Structured interviews Cons No observations! Who calls? Who answers? Be flexible Call again (on time) Short Keep the time Interview context: Telephone

10. 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! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Question order

11. 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

12. Inductive Iterative Exploratory research Theory generating Sampling Single case study Theoretical saturation Interpretive Epistemology: everyone interpret their own reality Theoretical, cultural, politically flavored Constructive Ontology: the social worlds in the emergent outcome of interactions between different individuals Language: Context dependent, ever changing Introducing Qualitative research interview

13. Qualitative process • General RQ • Select sites & subjects • Collect relevant data • Interpret • Generate theory –refine • Write up

14. External reliability Is difficult due to the replication of social settings Internal reliability Is usually high due to the goal of reaching shared understanding & interpretations Internal validity High due to the closeness between empirics and theories External validity Tends to be low due to the limited ability to statistically generalize Qualitative research Valid? Reliable? Valid & Reliable

15. External reliability Is difficult due to the replication of social settings Internal reliability Is usually high due to the goal of reaching shared understanding & interpretations Internal validity High due to the closeness between empirics and theories External 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 transferability Authenticity Fairness: Power & different perspectives, actions & understandings of the studied Qualitative research

16. Critique of Qualitative research • Too subjective • Difficult to replicate • Problems of generalizations • Lack of transparency • Research –subject relationship • Acton research • Collaborative & participatory research

17. 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

18. Unstructured Just a single question, interest (or theory in mind) No theory driven focus at start Starts often with a narrative Semi structured Interview guide Issues to cover Pre-set focus Qualitative interviewing

19. 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..

20. 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

21. Qualitative interviewing - Stories History approach • Retro perspective /recall bias • Sense making in hindsight Critical 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 change Convergent interviewing • Start general • Probing questions

22. 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

23. 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?

24. 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