Qualitative In-Depth Interviewing

Meaning-making Process
Standardized Interviews
 What is a Standardized Interview?
● Positivistic Approach (‘objective bias-free’ measurement)
● EVERYTHING strictly follows a script (wording, tone, manner)
● Closed Ended Questions
● Answers are usually:
◆ Multiple Choices
◆ Agree / Disagree
◆ Likert-scale
 Examples of Script Questions
How old are you?
a) 15-29 b) 30 – 44 c) 45 – 59 d) 60+

I am satisfied with my current job

a) Agree b) Neutral C) Disagree

On a scale ranging from 1 – 5 (one being the lowest and 5 the

highest) how good of a president would Donald Trump make?
Can You Guess the Problems With Standardized Interview?
No Room For Clarification
No Unexpected Data
Can’t Get Complex Information
 Validity
● What Is Validity?
● Can you assume that the respondents all answered the
questions in the way you intended? (confusion, ambiguity)
 Benefits of Standardized Interviews

• Less expensive
• Less time consuming – Can interview more people
• Less training of interviewers required
Easier to Code (e.g., SPSS)
 Qualitative In-depth Interviews

• Allowing people to fully express their opinions and feelings- autonomy

• Allowing for elaboration
• Gaining more in-depth and complex information
• More flexible, allowing for sudden changes to your interview questions
(emergent data) important
• Semi-structured V.S unstructured
 During the In-depth Interview

• Interviewer needs to bring the discussion back to topic if it diverts

• The researcher says much less than the participant
- acknowledging the viewpoint from research participants
• The interviewer can never passively listen because they need to
absorb and analyze all the content.
• A collaborative meaning-making process
 In-depth or Standardized Interview?

1. People’s preferences for their Tim Horton Coffee

2. Demographics of a classroom
3. How 9/11 affected your views on the world.
4. Workplace harassment
How to conduct an In-Depth Interview
 Three Steps
1. Identify your research question
○ Create the broad categories of info you are looking at
2. Develop Relevant Open ended questions
3. Draft your guide
○ Consider:
• Logical flow
• Rational order
• Conversational tone
• Encourage expansive answers
• Start easy!
 Interview Guides

● A written plan for your interview (interview guideline)

● Reflects the flexibility of these interviews
● Not set in stone
 Identifying Participants
● How do we search for participants?
● Snowball sampling (gatekeeper)
● Approaching an organization
● Contacting someone in a position of power

● Some individuals are more difficult to interview

than others
● Why might that be?
 Also.. Probes

● Try and anticipate what probing questions you might require

○ Ask for: elaboration
• Further explanation
• Provide and example or story
 A good last question

Is there anything I haven't asked that you think I should have?

 What Not to do

● Leading Questions
● Loaded Questions
● Double Barreled Questions
● Sensitive Questions at the beginning
● Its an interview not an interrogation
● More How, not Why Questions!
 Doing an Interview

● First Impression is key!

● Body language
● Dress Code
● Be on time
 Correct language and Responses

● Nod along with study participants

● Show interest
● Summarize responses to show engagement
● Don’t fear pauses
 Active Interviewer

• Interview as an active social process of meaning-making

• Paying attention to the social dynamics of the interview
 gaining insight into the meanings, non-verbal data
• Traditional gender roles within an interview
 Women Interviewing Women

• Filtering their story through your experiential lens (collective experience?)

• Female relationships
• Be mindful of women-only bias
• Be aware of power dynamics (e.g., social class and race)
 Age differences

• Comfort level
• Power relations
• Social desirability (older interviewer vs. younger study participants)
 Race

Why could racial or ethnic differences among

the interviewer and interviewee cause problems?
 Issues with difference?

• Can you see potential problems with being so concerned

with difference, or is it essential to keep in mind?
(reducing social distance?)
 Focus Group (Group Interview)

• Using a semi-structured group session, moderated by a group

leader, held in an informal setting, with the purpose of collecting
information on a designated topic.
• Facilitator (skillfully encourage opinions and make sure no one
dominates the discussion)
• Study participants (similar experiences, collective identity)
• Reducing the impact of the interviewer on study participants
• Interactive data – collective testimony, individual differences