Thread by @MagedZakher

My previous threads on #qualitative #interviewing referred mainly to one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. Research interviews, however, can be conducted in more than one way. #1 @AcademicChatter #phdchat #QualitativeResearch

@AcademicChatter In this thread, some different ways to conduct interviews are discussed, so have a look and see whether a different format could help answer your research question better. #2

@AcademicChatter The social research literature categorises research interviews roughly into #structured, semi-structured, and unstructured interviews based on the degree of #planning or preparation from the interviewer’s side and the #leeway available for participants in their responses. #3

@AcademicChatter The more planning involved and the more strictly the interviewer sticks to an interview schedule (with a list of questions phrased in advance and possibly a list of follow-up prompts/questions), the more structured the interview tends to be. #4

@AcademicChatter A #structured interview in this case can be likened to a #questionnaire conducted in a face-to-face, oral format. #5

@AcademicChatter It is worth noting that according to Bryman (2016), semi-structured and unstructured interviews refer to two ‘extremes’ and that in practice there is a wide spectrum between them where different interview settings can exhibit different levels of structure. #6

@AcademicChatter However, they are sometimes ‘referred to collectively as in-depth interviews or as qualitative interviews’ (Bryman, 2016: 468). #7 #SemiStructured #Unstructured #Interviews

@AcademicChatter Another way to categorise interviews is based on the #number of participants and/or the interviewers. Interviews can be conducted with individual participants, couples (can be called pair interviews or joint interviews), or groups (can be called in this case focus groups). #8

@AcademicChatter The #purposes differ and go beyond the practicality of interviewing more people in the same time-slot because the #dynamics can be different when more than one person is being interviewed in the same session (Finch et al., 2014; Lewis and McNaughton Nicholls, 2014). #9

@AcademicChatter More than 1 interviewer can conduct the interview (with 1interviewee, a couple/group). This can increase the inter-researcher confirmability/reliability as more than 1interviewer (&perhaps data analyst) can produce a more robust understanding of what the interviewee(s) meant. #10

@AcademicChatter If the interviewers take notes (instead of, for example, video-recording the interview), having more than one interviewer can be logistically helpful in freeing up one to ask and listen while the other takes notes, - - #11

@AcademicChatter - - and then they can switch, which can be more productive (but again may present a different #dynamic in the interview setting). #12

@AcademicChatter Interviews can also be categorised based on the #medium they are conducted in: face-to-face interviews, phone interviews, and video-conferencing (for example, via Skype) interviews. #13

@AcademicChatter There are also #walking interviews where participants are followed through their working environment while the interviewer asks questions and discusses the setting with the participant (Evans and Jones, 2011). #14 #WalkingInterviews #MobileInterviews

@AcademicChatter Walking interviews can offer some #authenticity to the questions and answers as they both surface in the real #context of the interviewee’s #environment. This can increase what the literature refers to as the #ecological validity. #15

@AcademicChatter The interviews that differ in the medium used differ in some practicalities and issues around access, ease of administration, flexibility and logistics. #16

@AcademicChatter They can also differ in terms of the perceived anonymity of the interviewee and the amount of control given to the interviewee (more so in walking interviews, for example). #17

@AcademicChatter If you’re doing any of the non-traditional, one-to-one interviews, feel free to share with me the different dynamics you encountered!

OK! That’s it for this week’s thread 😊 #18 #HappyInterviewing #Qualitative #Research