Agenda

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Agenda

• Exploratory Research
• Depth Interviews

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midterm

• Both text and lecture (and library class)
• Some on direct concepts
• Most are Applied knowledge
• Example if a research problem was defined as
  which of our customers buy red cars? the most
  appropriate type of research would be
• Exploratory
• Descriptive
• causal

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Focus groups

• A group interview

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Focus groups and Depth Interviews

• Group interaction
• Group/peer pressure
• Respondent competition
• Influence
• Subject sensitivity
• Interviewer fatigue
• Amount of information
• Stimuli
• Interviewer schedule

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Depth Interviews
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INTERVIEW TYPES

• casual interview
• semi-structured interview
• (also partially unstructured or partially
  structured)
• structured (survey interview)
• in depth interview
• (also open-ended or unstructured or
  experience survey)

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Structured Interviews

• advantages over written survey
• can ask illiterates
• respondents can ask for clarification of question
• while you wait responses

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Structured Interviews

• can record unexpected answers
• can record more open-ended responses
• less leading than written survey

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Structured Interviews

• advantage over other types of interviews best
  for large scale studies
• can use assistants
• responses can be more easily recorded and
  statistically analyzed

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Structured Interviews

• disadvantage
• have to ask the right questions
• categories imposed by researcher

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Unstructured Interviews

• Advantages
• disadvantages

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Triangulation

• with surveys
• with participant observation

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Funnel Method

• let respondent do all the talking
• can be a diagnostic interview
• the idea is to let the subject direct the
  interview.

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Inverted funnel method

• Inverted funnel Specific to general
• You want to jog the interviewees memory
• You want to motivate a reluctant participant
• You want to get specific facts before general
  impressions

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INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE

• silent probe
• encouragement probe
• immediate elaboration
• immediate clarification
• retrospective elaboration
• recapitulation probe
• retrospective clarification

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INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE

• echo probe
• reflective probe
• interpretive probe
• summary probe
• mutation

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INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE

• probes must probe
• formulate question before speaking
• keep questions simple
• no preface
• do not give respondent your lit review
• note taking controls flow

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INTERVIEW ISSUES

• avoid leading questions
• avoid ritual agreement
• monitor the universe of discourse

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INTERVIEW ISSUES

• avoid leading questions
• avoid ritual agreement
• monitor the universe of discourse

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Universe of Discourse
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INTERVIEW ISSUES

• avoid leading questions
• avoid ritual agreement
• monitor the universe of discourse
• observe body language

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INTERVIEW ISSUES

• avoid leading questions
• avoid ritual agreement
• monitor the universe of discourse
• observe body language
• convey expectation of cooperation

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INTERVIEW ISSUES

• avoid leading questions
• avoid ritual agreement
• monitor the universe of discourse
• observe body language
• convey expectation of cooperation
• avoid unprofessional statements

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To Tape or Not to Tape

• Advantages
• more accurate and less distracting
• better than relying on your memory
• excellent training tool for interviewer
• Disadvantage
• one thing to tell you, another to go on permanent
  record
• worry about sound of their voice
• worry who will hear tape

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IF Using a Tape Recorder

• tell respondent who will have access to tape
• erase tape as soon as transcribed
• place recorder in obvious place
• you can turn off/on confirm working...
• no question of subterfuge

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IF Using a Tape Recorder

• check recorder before you show up
• tape blank?
• bring extra tape
• check batteries
• confirm that it is working!
• move tape past leader
• check volume control
• practice with tape recorder

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Who

• does this person have access to information that
  you want?
• approaching interviewees their organizations

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When

• schedule when no competing demands
• approach with attitude that their time is more
  important than yours
• do not schedule too closely together
• 45 minutes typical 90 minutes longest
• sequencing

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Where

• respondents place of business
• respondents home
• neutral spot

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What

• interview blueprint
• list research objective or research question,
  actual question and sample prompts (listing any
  specifics you would like to elicit) in
  table/chart form

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The interview blueprint should guide you, not
confine you
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Sample Interview Blueprint
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What

• interview guide
• questions simply worded
• listed in order
• key points of introduction conclusion
• leave space for notes

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Sample Interview Guide
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The interview blueprint and interview guides
should serve as a road map. They can be used when
you feel you are getting lost and to keep you
focused on your destination.
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But, remember, that sometimes the scenic route
provides surprising discoveries.
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Interview Procedure

• phone ahead to confirm appointment
• when you arrive
• reintroduce yourself and your study
• explain how they were picked for study
• confirm use of tape recorder
• explain confidentiality and explain that they can
  end interview at any point
• start tape (if using)

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Interview Procedure

• when tape is rolling
• say, Ive prepared some questions, but if they
  dont seem to be hitting at the core of the
  issue, feel free to correct me
• start questions
• if ask tape be turned off for one question,
  remember to start again after
• after last question, always ask Is there
  anything else youd like to add? Anything you
  think Im missing?

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Interview Procedure

• after interview is over
• dont bolt.
• thank them for their participation
• say into tape recorder the foregoing was an
  interview with Jane Doe (D-o-e) for project 43,
  date, time, location, by your name
• turn off tape, but hang around making small talk
  will often get best stuff yet, now that formal
  interview is over
• once out of sight, debrief

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Interview Procedure

• Debrief
• check that tape has recorded properly
• tape is blank
• background noise obscures portions of tape
• reconstruct missing data but distinguish in
  transcript between verbatim and reconstructed
  paraphrasing
• record details (such as body language) not
  recorded on tape while still fresh in your memory
• note your own preliminary interpretations and
  ideas

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Transcription

• choose a format
• standard dialog format
• timed format (e.g., Discourse of Medicine by
  Mishler)
• postmodernist format (e.g., Rebecca Luce
  Keplar)
• choose verbatim vs journalistic standard
• choose coding conventions

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Analysis

• impressionistic vs coding
• present all raw data and let reader decide?
• voice of respondents come through clearly
• but very tedious to read
• present researchers interpretation
• easy to read
• but open to researchers bias
• have several observers code
• objective
• attempt to reduce interview data for statistical
  analysis

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Neumans (1997) process of Coded Analysis of
qualitative data

• Thematic Conceptualization
• ?
• Open Coding
• ?
• Axial Coding
• ?
• Selective Coding

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Step 1 Thematic Conceptualization

• Begin the analysis with a tentative list of
  concepts that may be supplemented or discarded as
  the coding continues (Miles Huberman, 1994).

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Step 2 Open coding

• The first pass through data in an attempt to
  formulate several general categories of responses
  within themes.

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Step 3Axial Coding

• During this second pass through data,
  sub-categories are formed and linkages begin to
  be formulated between causes and consequences,
  interactions, strategies, and processes.

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Step 4 Selective Coding

• During this final pass through the data, specific
  responses are selected as cases to support the
  relationships formed through axial coding. From
  this, generalizations may be formed and
  conclusions drawn.

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Guidelines for qualitative data collection

• Triangulate data by using various types of data
  collection.
• Clearly separate description from judgment.
• Be cognizant of trust and rapport issues.

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Electronic Data Analysis Resources

• http//www.qsr.com.au/home.asp
• http//www.alberta.ca/jnorris/qda.html
• http//www.atlasti.de/

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QDA Software

• NUDIST
• SPSS Qualitative
• The Observer
• CAQDAS Network (Computer Assisted Qualitative
  Data Analysis Software)

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References

• Gay, L.R. (1996). Educational Research. Columbus
  Merrill.
• Miles, M. Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative
  Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks Sage.
• Neuman, W.L. (1997). Social Research Methods.
  Toronto Allyn Bacon.