Dissertations

An in-depth, step-by-step guide to using semi-structured interviews in qualitative research. The volume offers a close look at the inductive nature of qualitative research, the use of researcher reflexivity, and the systematic and iterative steps involved in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. It offers guidance on developing an interview protocol, including arranging questions and ways to evoke analytically rich data.

Covers distance and face-to-face interviewing, from the unstructured and naturalistic to the highly structured, focused, and time-efficient. Emphasis is placed on using the most appropriate methods for the research purpose and identifying which method is practicable. Ch. 3 (The Importance of Question/Topic Development) is practical and easy to use, this book is essential for anyone doing research interviewing.

Contributors highlight the myriad dimensions of complexity emerging as researchers increasingly frame the interview as a communicative opportunity as much as a data-gathering format. The book begins with an overview of the interview's history and conceptual transformations, followed by chapters that discuss the main components of interview practice. Three entirely new sections include "Logistics of Interviewing," "Self and Other in the Interview," and "Ethics of the Interview."