Interviewing As Qualitative Research

Irving Seidman is professor emeritus at the College of Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst. He offers workshops and short courses and communicates with individual researchers who have questions about the methods described in this book.

• ContentsPreface viiAcknowledgments xiIntroduction: How I Came to Interviewing 11. Why Interview? 7The Purpose of Interviewing 9Interviewing: “The” Method or “A” Method? 9Why Not Interview? 11Conclusion 132. A Structure for In-Depth, Phenomenological Interviewing 14What Makes Interviewing Phenomenological and Why Does It Matter? 16Phenomenological Theme One: The Temporal and Transitory Nature of Human Experience 16Phenomenological Theme Two: Whose Understanding Is It? Subjective Understanding 17Phenomenological Theme Three: Lived Experience as the Foundation of “Phenomena” 18Phenomenological Theme Four: The Emphasis on Meaning and Meaning in Context 19How Do These Phenomenological Themes Matter? 20The Three-Interview Series 21Respect the Structure 24Alternatives to the Structure and Process 25Length of Interviews 26Spacing of Interviews 27Whose Meaning Is It? Validity and Reliability 27Experience the Process Yourself 323. Proposing Research: From Mind to Paper to Action 33Research Proposals as Rites of Passage 33Commitment 34From Thought to Language 35What Is to Be Done? 35Questions to Structure the Proposal 36Rationale 40Working with the Material 41Piloting Your Work 43Conclusion 434. Establishing Access to, Making Contact with, and Selecting Participants 4The Perils of Easy Access 45Access Through Formal Gatekeepers 48Informal Gatekeepers 49Accessing Children 50Access and Hierarchy 52Making Contact 52Make a Contact Visit in Person 53Building the Participant Pool 54Some Logistical Considerations 55Selecting Participants 56Snares to Avoid in the Selection Process 59How Many Participants Are Enough? 605. The Path to Institutional Review Boards and Informed Consent  62The Belmont Report 62The Establishment of Local Institutional Review Boards 63The Informed Consent Document 65Seven Key Sections of an Informed Consent Document 661. What, How Long, How, to What End, and for Whom? 672. Risks, Discomforts, and Vulnerability 683. The Rights of the Participant 684. Possible Benefits 735. Confidentiality of Records 736. Dissemination 767. Contact Information and Copies of the Document 77Special Conditions for Children  78Informed Consent When Using Technology to Interview 79Informed Consent When Interviewing Abroad 80The Complexities of Affirming the IRB Review Process and Informed Consent 826. Technique Isn’t Everything, But It Is a Lot 85Listen More, Talk Less 85Follow Up on What the Participant Says 88Listen More, Talk Less, and Ask Real Questions 91Follow Up, but Don’t Interrupt 92Two Favorite Approaches 93Ask Participants to Reconstruct, Not to Remember 94Keep Participants Focused and Ask for Concrete Details 95Do Not Take the Ebbs and Flows of Interviewing Too Personally 95Limit Your Own Interaction 96Explore Laughter 96Follow Your Hunches 97Use an Interview Guide Cautiously 98Tolerate Silence 99Conclusion 1007. Interviewing as a Relationship 101Interviewing as an “I–Thou” Relationship 101Rapport 102Social Group Identities and the Interviewing Relationship 104Distinguish Among Private, Personal, and Public Experiences 113Avoid a Therapeutic Relationship 114Reciprocity 116Equity 116Interviewing Online or by Telephone, and the Relationship Between Participant and Interviewer 1188. Analyzing, Interpreting, and Sharing Interview Material 121Managing the Data 121Keeping Interviewing and Analysis Separate: What to Do Between Interviews 122Recording Interviews 123Transcribing Interviews 124Studying, Reducing, and Analyzing the Text 125Sharing Interview Data: Profiles and Themes 127Making and Analyzing Thematic Connections 133Interpreting the Material 136Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) 138Cautions Regarding CAQDAS 1409. The Ethics of Doing Good Work 147Doing Good Work 147The Reciprocity Implicit in Treating Participants with Dignity 150Conclusion 151Appendix: Two Profiles 153Nanda: A Cambodian Survivor of the Pol Pot Era 153Betty: A Long-Time Day Care Provider 160References 164Index 182About the Author 196

“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