Qualitative Interview

Interviews were utilised for the data collection, as Addo (2013, p. 197) says that these can aid researchers in exploring the participant’s experience with the phenomenon of interest. The researchers

The continued academic tension between qualitative and quantitative inquiry has continued unabated. Scholarship since the 1980s, to redefine both paradigms, attempt to bring balance and importance of the respective contribution of both research processes. This has resulted in an interesting shift for “ensuring structure, process and rigor” from the investigator’s actions during the course of the research, to the reader of the qualitative inquiry. The emphasis on Quantitative strategies implemented during the research process has been replaced by truth value, applicability,

‘Employing a qualitative methodology, underpinned by a constructivist world view, has provided the means to generate rich, deep and contextualised understandings of the research issue, and an appreciation of the socially constructed and experienced realities of the participants.’ (Highfield 2012)

Phenomenological interview limitations may appear due to the researcher’s lack of experience in conducting interviews (Downey, 2015); which may interfere with the researcher’s focus and intentionality (Ashworth, 2017). Limitations may occur with the relationship between the researcher and the interviewee, including power struggles which might affect trust and honest participant reflections (Boucher, 2017). Further, time limitations could impede upon a participants deliberation process during the interview process (Downey, 2015). If a researcher is to understand the essence of a phenomenon; a suspension of judgment is required during participant interviews (Ashworth, 2017). Additionally, the researcher will need to be extremely attentive to experience the study through the participants’ eyes (Kelley, 2016). Individuals may choose not to answer every question, which is acceptable; yet, missing data can also become a limitation to the study. However, if enough participants do not answer the same question, the question might need to be reframed or removed; additionally, secondary data, such as technical reports, white papers or additional publications might be necessary to validate the research question (Johnston, 2014).

Qualitative research reflects different ways that researcher’s collect data and explore all of the information through literature review. Participant’s that are reviewing is often observed for analysis while “the role of the researcher focuses as the primary data collection instrument necessitates the identification of personal values, assumptions and biases at the outset of the study; Qualitative researchers ask at least one central question” (Creswell, 2014, which can be explored in several contexts with further questions. According to the text Research Design (2014) “the researcher’s role is typically involved in a

A lot of researchers have studied African American males in predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Sinanan (2012) published an interview-based qualitative study that explores African American male students’ social and academic experiences in a PWI in Southern New Jersey. The research aims to analyze African American men’s educational experience on campus. Sinanan (2012) points out that many African Americans have feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, low self-esteem, and social isolation over 300 years, thus “surviving and thriving in a racially charged social environment has been an ongoing challenge for the African American community” (p. 2). In addition, another study defines this isolation as “racial tensions”, which is an internal tension

Shepard (2013) completed an ethnography qualitative study on the impacts of stress within those individuals who work in health care, harm reduction, and the human services field. The type of data collected within this study was primarily focused obtaining narratives from the participants. Shepard (2013) wanted to obtain the felt experiences of those who worked within the field of helping take care of others and seeing them through difficult times of their life. The data was mainly collected through interviews of friends and colleagues, as well as direct observation of those individual’s that were greatly impacted by stress to the point of self-destruction and premature

These two guides covered many topics that related back to the research questions. The authors listed examples from the interview guides that do support the qualitative nature of this study. The examples were all open-ended questions meant to develop dialogue between the investigator and the interviewee.

Maxwell (2005) also notes that qualitative research can be used to address various issues and is not restricted to one ontological stance. The method also involves developing a relationship with the people one is studying, an aspect that is important in defining the authenticity of the data and determining the course of action.

Interviewing is the method of qualitative research that normally comes first to people’s mind. It is much more than merely asking premeditated question after question. Interviewing is an art that requires the ability to quickly create a relationship between two people in order to gain knowledge. There are many techniques when it comes to conducting valuable interviews. Not every technique works for every interviewer and there is more than one right way to interview. For instance, while both Robert Lane, author of Political Ideology: Why the American Common Man Believes What He Does, and Judith Kestenberg author of Children During the Nazi Reign, used interviewing to gain knowledge for the writing of their books, these two authors prove

Newman and Benz (1998, 3) explain qualitative methods have the aim of developing a theory explaining what they have witnessed and investigated in their observations. Researchers can collect data already having set proposed and pre-determined questions and asking these questions in an interview setting or allowing the participant to write their answers on a test structured format (Creswell 2003, 17). Another method of research also includes interviews, group or singular, however taking either a more guided or free speech conversation (Tewksbury 2009, 43). Different from question based studies, qualitative researchers also acquire their information in the form of observation. This can occur in two ways, either they openly acknowledge and explain they are observing participants out in the field or observe in secret. This method can be described as a method of immersion (Tewksbury 2009, 54).

As with all qualitative research methods in social science, there are both strengths and weaknesses in the way that interviews generate knowledge. Possibly one of the greatest strengths of an interview is its ability to be ordered by the interviewer to answer a specific question. However, this specific question is rarely asked directly. Instead, it is answered using many other questions which form an objective conversation (Berg, 2001:66). Simply speaking this means that, unlike a research method such as content analysis that generates knowledge from finding meaning in reports that were written in response to a separate research question (Sproule, 2006:115), interviews can be set up so as to gain information relating to one specific theory (Priede and Farrall, 2011:272). This can be achieved in structured interviews by framing questions beforehand that are directly

Qualitative interview questions are semi-structured in order to get the maximum information and insights out of the informants. The questions are factual and open-ended, so the research can learn consumer opinion and behavior in their life setting (Boyce & Neale 2006). Individual interviews takes about fifteen (15) to thirty (30) minutes. In-depth interviews lasts longer than thirty (30) minutes. Informants were selected mainly in the age between twenty (20) to forty-five (45), including students, housewives or office workers, who are most likely to participate in green behavior (Gilg et al. 2005). The informants were recorded in the age range, gender, nationality, marital status, whether having children, education background, and occupation.

In social science research, research methods are an essential part of any project because they determine its validity, reliability and success. For qualitative researchers, interviewing is the most widely employed means for generating information (Holstein & Gubrium, 2004). It is claimed by Cohen (et al., 2007) that interviewing is valuable because it not only reports detailed views of interviewees, but also enables participants to speak in their own voice and express their own feelings and experiences (Berg, 2007). However, qualitative methods, especially interviewing, differ from quantitative approaches that many practical and ethical issues might arise in the process of interviews. Although the literature provides words of advice and caution on conducting qualitative interviews, only engaging in the interview could make people realize they made mistakes that limited the voice of their participants in favor of their own. In this article, I will describe the successes and barriers that arose upon reflection of my initial interviewing experience. As a novice, my analysis will focus more on the difficulties and mistakes because this might be more insightful and helpful to my development.

Qualitative research is a technique of promoting research that stresses the quality according to the user’s point of view and approaches. In depth interviews and focus groups are best examples of qualitative research. [Laura Lake, 2009]