Table of Contents
ContentsPreface vii
Acknowledgments xi Introduction: How I Came to Interviewing 1
1. Why Interview? 7 The Purpose of Interviewing 9Interviewing: “The” Method or “A” Method? 9Why Not Interview? 11Conclusion 13
2. A Structure for In-Depth, Phenomenological Interviewing 14 What Makes Interviewing Phenomenological and Why Does It Matter? 16Phenomenological Theme One: The Temporal and Transitory Nature of Human Experience 16Phenomenological Theme Two: Whose Understanding Is It? Subjective Understanding 17Phenomenological Theme Three: Lived Experience as the Foundation of “Phenomena” 18Phenomenological Theme Four: The Emphasis on Meaning and Meaning in Context 19How Do These Phenomenological Themes Matter? 20The Three-Interview Series 21Respect the Structure 24Alternatives to the Structure and Process 25Length of Interviews 26Spacing of Interviews 27Whose Meaning Is It? Validity and Reliability 27Experience the Process Yourself 32
3. Proposing Research: From Mind to Paper to Action 33 Research Proposals as Rites of Passage 33Commitment 34From Thought to Language 35What Is to Be Done? 35Questions to Structure the Proposal 36Rationale 40Working with the Material 41Piloting Your Work 43Conclusion 43
4. Establishing Access to, Making Contact with, and Selecting Participants 45 The Perils of Easy Access 45Access Through Formal Gatekeepers 48Informal Gatekeepers 49Accessing Children 50Access and Hierarchy 52Making Contact 52Make a Contact Visit in Person 53Building the Participant Pool 54Some Logistical Considerations 55Selecting Participants 56Snares to Avoid in the Selection Process 59How Many Participants Are Enough? 60
5. The Path to Institutional Review Boards and Informed Consent 62 The Belmont Report 62The Establishment of Local Institutional Review Boards 63The Informed Consent Document 65Seven Key Sections of an Informed Consent Document 661. What, How Long, How, to What End, and for Whom? 672. Risks, Discomforts, and Vulnerability 683. The Rights of the Participant 684. Possible Benefits 735. Confidentiality of Records 736. Dissemination 767. Contact Information and Copies of the Document 77 Special Conditions for Children 78Informed Consent When Using Technology to Interview 79Informed Consent When Interviewing Abroad 80The Complexities of Affirming the IRB Review Process and Informed Consent 82
6. Technique Isn’t Everything, But It Is a Lot 85 Listen More, Talk Less 85Follow Up on What the Participant Says 88Listen More, Talk Less, and Ask Real Questions 91Follow Up, but Don’t Interrupt 92Two Favorite Approaches 93Ask Participants to Reconstruct, Not to Remember 94Keep Participants Focused and Ask for Concrete Details 95Do Not Take the Ebbs and Flows of Interviewing Too Personally 95Limit Your Own Interaction 96Explore Laughter 96Follow Your Hunches 97Use an Interview Guide Cautiously 98Tolerate Silence 99Conclusion 100
7. Interviewing as a Relationship 101 Interviewing as an “I–Thou” Relationship 101Rapport 102Social Group Identities and the Interviewing Relationship 104Distinguish Among Private, Personal, and Public Experiences 113Avoid a Therapeutic Relationship 114Reciprocity 116Equity 116Interviewing Online or by Telephone, and the Relationship Between Participant and Interviewer 118
8. Analyzing, Interpreting, and Sharing Interview Material 121 Managing the Data 121Keeping Interviewing and Analysis Separate: What to Do Between Interviews 122Recording Interviews 123Transcribing Interviews 124Studying, Reducing, and Analyzing the Text 125Sharing Interview Data: Profiles and Themes 127Making and Analyzing Thematic Connections 133Interpreting the Material 136Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) 138Cautions Regarding CAQDAS 140
9. The Ethics of Doing Good Work 147 Doing Good Work 147The Reciprocity Implicit in Treating Participants with Dignity 150Conclusion 151
Appendix: Two Profiles 153 Nanda: A Cambodian Survivor of the Pol Pot Era 153Betty: A Long-Time Day Care Provider 160
References 164
Index 182
About the Author 196