Karin Olson’s brief, accessible guide to the principles and practices of qualitative interviewing is a welcome addition for students and novice practitioners in a wide array of fields. Interview is the most common method for gaining information in the social realm, so there are a bewildering array of techniques and strategies for conducting them. Olson outlines the various options-from formal to highly unstructured, individual and group-and shows how and when to use each. She takes the researcher through the interview process, from design to report, and addresses key issues such as researcher standpoint, vulnerable populations, translation, and research ethics. Exercises, examples, and tables offer a convenient set of tools for understanding. This slim guide is a key resource for any research methods course. Reviews: "Overall, this book is a very helpful text and reference book for undergraduate courses on qualitative research methodology and related topics." - Anthropology Review Database Contents: Foreword by Svend Brinkmann Preface Chapter 1: Learning to Interview Chapter 2: A Matter of Standpoint The Researcher Standpoint: Who Are You? Standpoint and Research Design Summary Exercises Chapter 3: Talking About Experience Demographic Factors Related to Data Quality Preparation of Interviewers for Interviewing Deciding Who to Interview Interviewing Individuals From Vulnerable Populations Use of Shadowed Data Summary Exercises Chapter 4: Approaches to Data Generation Interviews in the Context of Research Formal Interviews With Individuals Formal Interviews With Group Informal Interviews Generating Data in Early Interviews Generating Data in Follow-Up Interviews Data Generation and Design Summary Exercises Chapter 5: The Logistics of Interviewing Modes of Interviewing Practical Issues Associated With the Interview Process Concluding the Interview Field Notes and Interviews Debriefing Following Interviews Concluding the Interview Relationship Summary Exercises Chapter 6: Transforming, Managing, and Analyzing Interview Data Recording the Interview Transcribing the Interview Managing Interview Data Analyzing Interview Data Summary Exercises Chapter 7: Ethical Issues in Interviewing Research Vulnerability Vulnerability, Recruitment, and Consent Ethical Issues Related to the Use of Interview Data for Secondary Analysis and Teaching Ethical Issues Related to Boundaries Exercises Chapter 8: Interviewing and Qualitative Research The Research Relationship The Research Relationship and the Interview Process The Importance of Practice Appendix: Extracts from Interviews References Index About the Author |