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Qualitative Methods

Data and Data Collection

Qualitative Interviews

Qualitative interviewing is a special kind of conversation in which the interviewer asks questions a respondent about the research topic that the interviewee knows something about. The general focus of this special conversation is to elicit richly detailed narratives that offer some understanding of the life experiences of the individuals being interviewed.

Qualitative interviews may be used as the only method of data collection for a study or they can be used in coordination with other methods, such as part of a field research project. Interviews will allow for the study of biography and accounts--but not behavior or interaction. Interviews provide narratives of how the interview thinks and talks about an experience. The data is a narrative about behavior or events--not a direct reflection of an occurence.

[Watch Video "Using Informal Interviews" Professor Tatcho Mindiola]

The general process of conducting qualitative interviews will be discussed in six parts:

  1. Planning the Interview
  2. Sampling & Scheduling
  3. Beginning the Interview
  4. The Interview Process
  5. After the Interview
  6. The Transcription Process

Read more about Qualitative Interviews