Weiss The Process of Interviewing

Weiss, R. S. (1994). Learning from strangers: The art and method of qualitative interview studies. New York: The Free Press.

Chapter 4: Interviewing

• Always take two copies of the consent form - one to be signed and returned and the other for the respondent to keep.
• Establish a collaborative relationship first.
• The Interviewing Relationship
• Some Interviewing Guidelines
  • "Being a good interviewer requires knowing what kind of information the study needs and being able to help the respondent provide it (p. 66)."
  • Concrete descriptions are imperative for quality data.
  • Asking respondents to particularize helps create concrete examples.
  • Tense and Specificity in the Interview
    • Respondent's use of present tense often indicates generalized statements. The use of "would, could, or used to" can also indicate generalized statements as well. These are called generalized tenses.
    • "The point of qualitative interviewing is to obtain from respondents a field report on their external and internal experiences. This does require the respondent to provide a density of detail that would not be provided in ordinary conversation (p. 73)."
    • Generalized tenses are a façade. They feel less intrusive, but they do not result in concrete examples.

• Questions to Ask
• On Phrasing the Question
• Helping Respondents Develop Information
  • Types of questions to ask:
    • Extending
    • Filling in detail
    • Identifying actors
    • Others the respondent consulted
    • Inner events
      • "Inner events include perceptions, what the respondent heard or saw; cognitions, what the respondent thought, believed, or decided; and emotions, how the respondent felt and what strivings and impulses the respondent experienced. They can also include the respondent's preconceptions, values, goals, hopes, and fears (p. 75)."

• Making indications explicit
• Handling Difficult Questions
  • Markers
    • "I define a marker as a passing reference made by a respondent to an important event or feeling state (p. 77)."

• Managing the Interview
  • Intrusions
    • "The first rule of interviewing is that if the respondent has something to say, the respondent must be able to say it (p. 78)."

• Talking About Yourself
  • Never talk about yourself.

• Monitoring the Information the Respondent is Providing

• Adequacy of the Respondent's Account
  • The respondent's account should contain enough information that you can visualize exactly what happened. This concept is called visualizability.

• Managing Transitions
  • Flustering a respondent can jeopardize the quality of the responses. It leads to a survey-like response rather than a true qualitative interview. Following the respondent's associations as long as they are in the frame of the study helps to avoid flustering. Use statements that warn the respondent that a redirection is coming.

• How Well is the Interviewing Partnership Going?

• Examples of Interviewing
  • Examples of Good Interviewing
  • Examples of Poor Interviewing