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

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

by Irving Seidman
Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences

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

by Irving Seidman

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Overview

This popular text provides step-by-step guidance for new and experienced researchers who want to use interviewing as a research method. Appropriate for individual and classroom use, this expanded edition explains the rationale for interviewing and the complexity of selecting interview participants, important interviewing techniques, and how to work with the results of interviews.

“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 have used Seidman’s text with great success with graduate students new to qualitative research. Its complex yet readable treatment is an essential part of the toolbox for both novice and experienced qualitative interviewers.”
—Mark R. Warren, University of Massachusetts Boston

“This is a thoughtful and well-written introduction to the topic. I assign it in multiple undergraduate and graduate classes I teach. Highly recommended.”
—Amy Bruckman, Georgia Institute of Technology


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807777855
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Publication date: 06/07/2019
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Sales rank: 918,721
File size: 516 KB

About the Author

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.

Table of 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 45

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

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“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

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