CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS

and Focus Groups

COMPARING QUALITATIVE
INTERVIEW TYPES
Quantitative Qualitative
Unstructured No predeveloped questions in survey or
interview guide
Semi-structured
1) Predeveloped questions – may be
administered in no established order;
questions may be added depending on
circumstances.

Predeveloped questions – established

2) order - questions can be answered in the
same way each time
OPEN-ENDED INTERVIEWS ARE USED IN QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH – DIFFERS FROM QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES.

 Set of questions generally focuses on one concept or set

of experiences/perceptions to be measured (for example,
comparison of products/candidates; perceptions of
community needs; youth experiences).
 Response categories are not predetermined.

 Comparisons among responses are made after data

analysis – decision to compare made based on obvious
patterns in the data.
 Sampling – nonprobability – purposive or snowball
sampling strategies are commonly used.
INTERVIEW OR CONVERSATIONAL
GUIDES
 List of open-ended questions is prepared in advance by the researcher.
 Purpose of the interview is to solicit detail and depth.
 Never, ever, use yes/no questions unless you plan to follow-up yes/no responses
with a more detailed question.
 Never solicit one or two word responses without follow-ups.
 Be careful with why questions – you will probably need follow-ups. “Please
explain” or “Describe” may be better.
 “How” questions usually produce detailed responses.
 What questions sometimes result in one or two word responses and should be
used sparingly.
 Questions should focus on the interviewee’s perspectives, opinions, attitudes,
and experiences.
 You also can ask about events, life history, and the respondent’s perceptions of
others, culture, or the respondent’s surrounding environment.
 Asking for explanations about the respondent’s opinions or perceptions is also
important.
RUBIN AND RUBIN DESCRIBE THE
PROCESS OF QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS
AS SOLICITING
 Vividness – ask respondents to give examples or “draw a
picture” that includes not just facts but emotion. How did
the event make the respondent feel?
 Nuance – are things always what they seem or simple
(i.e. black and white)? What other things should be
considered. Question broad statements. Look for
exceptions.
 Richness – interview should contain many ideas and
different themes. Encourage respondent to elaborate –
ask for more examples, especially when responses are
unexpected.
TYPES OF QUESTIONS CAN INCLUDE
 Questions should focus on the interviewee’s perceptions,
opinions, attitudes, and experiences.
 You also can ask about events, life history, and the
respondent’s perceptions of others, culture, or the
respondent’s surrounding environment.
 Asking for explanations about the respondent’s opinions
or perceptions is also important.
INTERVIEWS HAVE SEVERAL
COMPONENT PARTS
 Main questions identified in advance (6-10).
 Follow-up questions (for example, asking for more detail
or nuance in individual responses).
 Probes – techniques used to keep a discussion going.

 Questions can be skipped or order varied depending on

the flow of conversation.
INTERVIEW GUIDE
CONSTRUCTION TIPS
 Only address one concept per question, although
qualitative questions may contain subparts and/or
follow-up questions/probes
 Don’t write the question to solicit a specific response
 Questions should be tactful and should not invoke a
social stigma.
 You may use filter questions – (yes/no or short word
responses); respondents asked successive questions
based on one response.
 Demographic questions are generally asked at the
beginning or end of interview. You may have the
respondent fill out a demographic questionnaire in
advance of the interview.
 SAMPLE QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Interview Protocol: Perspectives on Deafness
Can you describe how you first became aware of your
deafness
1.
 
How do you see yourself today, in terms of your deafness?
2.
 
What does your deafness mean to you?
3.
 
Can you describe any particularly difficult or traumatic
4. experiences in your life related to your deafness?
 
Can you describe how you fit into deaf culture?
5.
 
To what extent do you consider yourself active in both the deaf
6. world and the hearing world?
 
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
 Interviews are not anonymous, but you must provide confidentiality.
 Respondents should be asked to sign a consent form.
 Respondents should be given a consent form to keep in addition to the
one signed and returned to the interviewer.
 Most face-to-face interviews are taped. The respondent must agree to be
audio-taped or video-taped. The researcher can still take notes on the
interview if consent to be taped is not granted.
 Tapes and notes should be kept in a secure place. Anything that could
identify the respondent (such as tapes) should be destroyed at the
conclusion of the research.
 The only exception to this is in field research – consent to participate is
inferred when respondent speaks to researcher. The process of entry or
acceptance is the procedure used to establish consent in ethnography
and field research.
 For most formal interviews, respondents should receive a cover letter
that introduces the researcher and contains much of the information in
the consent form (human subjects protections etc).
FOCUS GROUPS MAY ALSO BE USED TO CONDUCT
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH. FOCUS GROUPS:
 Are used to assess people’s perceptions about programs, candidates,
products or services.
 Are used to generate recommendations for changing programs,
products, campaign strategies, and services.
 Are often used in conjunction with needs assessments or to generate
ideas or explore themes that can be used in descriptive studies.
 Are used to answer questions about how or why programs work.
 May be used in conjunction with other research methods.
 Include six to eight participants who are selected using purposive
sampling methods – some researchers will try to find a “representative
sample”; others will try to find people with similar characteristics – but
will want a variety of opinions.
 Utilize a semi-structured interview guide with 6-8 questions.
 Require that a facilitator ask each of the questions and solicit responses
from members.
 Are used to generate a common response or a consensus from group
members.
FOCUS GROUP EXAMPLES:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid
=-6617577456912837335

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fklf6Y946jI