Learning From Strangers The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies

by Weiss, Robert S.

• ISBN13: 9780684823126
• ISBN10: 0684823128
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-11-10
• Publisher: Free Press

Summary

Learning From Strangersis the definitive work on qualitative research interviewing. It draws on Robert Weiss's thirty years of experience in interviewing and teaching others how to do it. The most effective interviews, says Weiss, rely on creating cooperation -- an open and trusting alliance between interviewer and respondent, dedicated to specific and honest accounts of both internal and external events. Against the eclectic background of his work in national sample surveys, studies based on semi-structured interviewing, and participant observation, Weiss walks the reader through the method of qualitative interview studies: sample selection, development of an interview guide, the conduct of the interview, analysis, and preparation of the data. Weiss gives examples of successful and less successful interviews and offers specific techniques and guidelines for the practitioner.

Author Biography

Dr. Robert S. Weiss is Director of the Work and Family Research Unit and Research Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is the author of several books including Staying the Course (The Free Press, 1990).

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(14)
Why We Interview	1	(1)
Survey Interviewing and Qualitative Interviewing	2	(7)
Some Considerations in Undertaking a Qualitative Interview Study	9	(5)
The Phases of Qualitative Interviewing Research	14	(1)
Respondents: Choosing Them and Recruiting Them	15	(24)
Aims and Substantive Frame of the Study	15	(2)
Panels and Samples	17	(16)
Recruiting Respondents	33	(6)
Preparation for Interviewing	39	(22)
What Do You Interview About?	39	(3)
A Good Report	42	(3)
From Substantive Frame to Interview Guide	45	(6)
Early Interviews as Learning Experiences	51	(2)
To Tape or Not to Tape	53	(3)
How Long Should an Interview Last?	56	(1)
How Many Interviews with the Same Respondent?	57	(1)
Do You Pay Respondents?	58	(1)
Where Do You Hold the Interview?	58	(1)
Telephone Interviews	59	(2)
Interviewing	61	(60)
Getting Started	61	(4)
The Interviewing Relationship	65	(1)
Some Interviewing Guidelines	66	(17)
Examples of Interviewing	83	(38)
Issues in Interviewing	121	(30)
The Effects of Interviewing on Respondent and Interviewer	121	(6)
Interviewer Responsibilities	127	(4)
Confidentiality Dilemmas	131	(3)
Research Interviewing and Therapeutic Intervention	134	(1)
If a Respondent Has Need of Clinical Services	135	(1)
Matching Interviewers to Respondents	136	(5)
Interviewing Difficulties	141	(6)
Issues of Validity: Do Respondents Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth?	147	(4)
Analysis of Data	151	(32)
Approaches to Analysis and Reporting	151	(2)
Issue-Focused Analysis	153	(14)
Case-Focused Analysis	167	(12)
The Demonstration of Causation	179	(2)
Summary	181	(2)
Writing the Report	183	(40)
Getting Started	183	(3)
To What Audience Is the Report Directed?	186	(3)
To What Extent Do You Enter as a Figure in the Report?	189	(2)
Using Excerpts as Illustration and as Evidence	191	(8)
Justifications for Using Quasi-Quantitative Terms Rather Than Counts and Proportions	199	(1)
How You Write About Your Informants and Respondents	200	(4)
Getting It Out the Door	204	(3)
APPENDICES
A. Other Names for Qualitative Interviewing	207	(2)
B. Fields That Use Qualitative Interviewing	209	(2)
C. Sources of Bias and Their Control	211	(3)
D. Consent Forms	214	(5)
E. Quantitative Coding of Qualitative Interview Material	219	(4)
Notes	223	(12)
References	235	(6)
Index	241