Interviewing As Qualitative Research
A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences

Irving Seidman (Author)

9780807761489

Paperback / softback, published 31 May 2019

208 pages
22.6 x 15.4 x 1.2 cm, 0.302 kg

“For four editions, readers have turned to Interviewing as Qualitative Research for its practical and straight-forward presentation of a powerful interviewing model. With updated examples, new sections on ethics, and much more, this new edition remains a must-read for any graduate student or experienced researcher interested in the art of qualitative interviewing.”- Nancy Dana, University of Florida;

Praise for Previous Editions!

“A comprehensive perspective of the nature of qualitative inquiry and the art of interviewing.”- Theory and Research in Social Education;

“A good starting point for training new researchers.”- The Journal of Higher Education;

""I found Seidman’s guide coherent and relevant to its area of contribution and I look forward to consulting this text in the future not only in my work but also when teaching qualitative research methods.""- Qualitative Research;

""Seidman fulfills the book's stated purpose of providing a practical guide for graduate students and early career scholars who are interested in interview research...His writing is clear and concise, avoiding jargon and unnecessarily complex concepts ""- The Journal of Educational Research

This popular text, now in its fifth edition, provides step-by-step guidance for new and experienced researchers who want to use interviewing as a research method. This user-friendly guide explains the rationale for interviewing and the complexity of selecting interview participants, important interviewing techniques, and how to work with the results of interviews. Appropriate for individual and classroom use, this expanded edition includes: a revised assessment of the utility of Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis systems; contributions by Julie Simpson, the Director of Research Integrity Services at the University of New Hampshire, about preparing research for local Institutional Review Boards; and guidance for obtaining informed consent when using technology to interview, when interviewing abroad, and when hoping to include children as participants.

Book Features:

• Principles and methods that can be adapted to a range of interviewing approaches.
• A clear and inviting presentation appropriate for both individual use and for classes.
• Ideas to help readers analyze and improve their own approach, as well as suggestions for group practice.
• An interviewing technique that stresses listening, with guidance for avoiding leading questions.
• Examples of doctorial students’ research demonstrating that interviewing can deal with life and death issues, as well as everyday life.
• Updated references to help readers deepen their understanding of interviewing as qualitative research.

• Contents
• Preface 
  vii
• Acknowledgments 
  xi
• Introduction: How I Came to Interviewing 
  1
• 1. 
  Why Interview? 
  7
• The Purpose of Interviewing 
  9
• Interviewing: “
  The”
  Method or “
  A”
  Method? 
  9
• Why Not Interview? 
  11
• Conclusion 
  13
• 2. 
  A Structure for In-Depth, Phenomenological Interviewing 
  14
• What Makes Interviewing Phenomenological and Why Does It Matter? 
  16
• Phenomenological Theme One: The Temporal and Transitory Nature of Human Experience 
  16
• Phenomenological Theme Two: Whose Understanding Is It? Subjective Understanding 
  17
• Phenomenological Theme Three: Lived Experience as the Foundation of “
  Phenomena”
   
  18
• Phenomenological Theme Four: The Emphasis on Meaning and Meaning in Context 
  19
• How Do These Phenomenological Themes Matter? 
  20
• The Three-Interview Series 
  21
• Respect the Structure 
  24
• Alternatives to the Structure and Process 
  25
• Length of Interviews 
  26
• Spacing of Interviews 
  27
• Whose Meaning Is It? Validity and Reliability 
  27
• Experience the Process Yourself 
  32
• 3. 
  Proposing Research: From Mind to Paper to Action 
  33
• Research Proposals as Rites of Passage 
  33
• Commitment 
  34
• From Thought to Language 
  35
• What Is to Be Done? 
  35
• Questions to Structure the Proposal 
  36
• Rationale 
  40
• Working with the Material 
  41
• Piloting Your Work 
  43
• Conclusion 
  43
• 4. 
  Establishing Access to, Making Contact with, and Selecting Participants 
  4
• The Perils of Easy Access 
  45
• Access Through Formal Gatekeepers 
  48
• Informal Gatekeepers 
  49
• Accessing Children 
  50
• Access and Hierarchy 
  52
• Making Contact 
  52
• Make a Contact Visit in Person 
  53
• Building the Participant Pool 
  54
• Some Logistical Considerations 
  55
• Selecting Participants 
  56
• Snares to Avoid in the Selection Process 
  59
• How Many Participants Are Enough? 
  60
• 5. 
  The Path to Institutional Review Boards and Informed Consent  
  62
• The Belmont Report 
  62
• The Establishment of Local Institutional Review Boards 
  63
• The Informed Consent Document 
  65
• Seven Key Sections of an Informed Consent Document 
  66
• 1. What, How Long, How, to What End, and for Whom? 
  67
• 2. Risks, Discomforts, and Vulnerability 
  68
• 3. The Rights of the Participant 
  68
• 4. Possible Benefits 
  73
• 5. Confidentiality of Records 
  73
• 6. Dissemination 
  76
• 7. Contact Information and Copies of the Document 
  77
• Special Conditions for Children  
  78
• Informed Consent When Using Technology to Interview 
  79
• Informed Consent When Interviewing Abroad 
  80
• The 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 
  85
• Follow Up on What the Participant Says 
  88
• Listen More, Talk Less, and Ask Real Questions 
  91
• Follow Up, but Don’
  t Interrupt 
  92
• Two Favorite Approaches 
  93
• Ask Participants to Reconstruct, Not to Remember 
  94
• Keep Participants Focused and Ask for Concrete Details 
  95
• Do Not Take the Ebbs and Flows of Interviewing Too Personally 
  95
• Limit Your Own Interaction 
  96
• Explore Laughter 
  96
• Follow Your Hunches 
  97
• Use an Interview Guide Cautiously 
  98
• Tolerate Silence 
  99
• Conclusion 
  100
• 7. 
  Interviewing as a Relationship 
  101
• Interviewing as an “
  I–
  Thou”
  Relationship 
  101
• Rapport 
  102
• Social Group Identities and the Interviewing Relationship 
  104
• Distinguish Among Private, Personal, and Public Experiences 
  113
• Avoid a Therapeutic Relationship 
  114
• Reciprocity 
  116
• Equity 
  116
• Interviewing Online or by Telephone, and the Relationship Between Participant and Interviewer 
  118
• 8. 
  Analyzing, Interpreting, and Sharing Interview Material 
  121
• Managing the Data 
  121
• Keeping Interviewing and Analysis Separate: What to Do Between Interviews 
  122
• Recording Interviews 
  123
• Transcribing Interviews 
  124
• Studying, Reducing, and Analyzing the Text 
  125
• Sharing Interview Data: Profiles and Themes 
  127
• Making and Analyzing Thematic Connections 
  133
• Interpreting the Material 
  136
• Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) 
  138
• Cautions Regarding CAQDAS 
  140
• 9. 
  The Ethics of Doing Good Work 
  147
• Doing Good Work 
  147
• The Reciprocity Implicit in Treating Participants with Dignity 
  150
• Conclusion 
  151
• Appendix: Two Profiles 
  153
• Nanda: A Cambodian Survivor of the Pol Pot Era 
  153
• Betty: A Long-Time Day Care Provider 
  160
• References 
  164
• Index 
  182
• About the Author 
  196