Qualitative Research Interviewing : Biographic Narrative and Semi-Structured Methods

by Tom Wengraf

• ISBN13: 9780803975019
• ISBN10: 0803975015
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-25
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd

Summary

Unique in its conceptual coherence and the level of practical detail, this book provides a comprehensive resource for those concerned with the practice of semi-structured interviewing, the most commonly used interview approach in social research, and in particular for in-depth, biographic narrative interviewing. It covers the full range of practices from the identification of topics through to strategies for writing up research findings in diverse ways.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	xv
List of Exercises	xix
Abbreviations	xxi
Preface	xxiii
Introduction	xxv
PART I: CONCEPTS AND APPROACHES TO DEPTH INTERVIEWING	1	(70)
Overview	1	(1)
Interview `Facts' as Evidence to Support Inferences to Eventual Theorization/Representation Models	2	(14)
Data-collection (up to and Including the Interview) and Data-interpretation (from Interview to Researcher Product)	2	(1)
Common-sense Hypothetico-inductivist Model	2	(1)
Anti-common-sense Hypothetico-deductivist Model	2	(1)
Inductivist and Deductivist `Moments' in Doing Research	2	(1)
Some Features of Depth Interviewing as Designed Practice	3	(3)
The Interview is a Research Interview	3	(1)
The Interview is a Type of Conversational Face-to-face Interaction	4	(1)
It has to be Particularly Well-prepared (Designed) to Allow it to be Semi-Structured	5	(1)
It is an Interview `in Depth'	5	(1)
The `Hard and only Facts' of Interview Interaction, and Inferences	6	(8)
Old Wu: Knowledge of Discourse, Referents, Subjectivity	6	(6)
Inference = Assumptions + Evidence-handling Argument against Counter-arguments	12	(2)
Final Proposed Re/presentation Product/purpose Determines Appropriate Design of Data-generation/processing	14	(2)
Conceptual Frameworks for Studying and Inferring from (Research) Interview Interaction Practice	16	(35)
Interviews as Problematic	16	(17)
Interview Interaction as Located Practice	16	(1)
Vignette A: Lorna and John	16	(1)
Past Interview Experiences for both Parties	17	(2)
Interpreting Interview Data: Interview with `W'	19	(14)
Conceptual Frameworks for the Study of Semi-Structured Depth Interviews	33	(18)
An Under-researched, Historically Infrequent Social Practice	33	(5)
Frameworks: Interactional and Anthropological-historical	38	(12)
Summary	50	(1)
Models of Research Design and their Application to Semi-Structured Depth Interviewing	51	(9)
Model-building, Model-testing Sequence	51	(3)
How to Think the Relation of Models to Evidence: Questions, Concepts and Indicators, the Problem of Operationalization/Instrumentation	51	(3)
Classic Model of Pre-conceptualization, Pre-theorization and Stages of Theory-testing: Rose-Wengraf	54	(2)
Maxwell's Model of Design Components	56	(1)
Brief Note on Assumptions behind Inferences and Interpretations: Instrumentalists vs Realists	57	(3)
Lightly and Heavily Structured Depth Interviewing: Theory-Questions and Interviewer-Questions	60	(11)
Sequence and Spectrum: Brief Overview	60	(1)
Theory-questions must be Distinguished from Interviewer-questions	61	(3)
TQ and IQ linked by Instrumentation Theory and Assumptions	62	(1)
The CRQ-TQ-IQ(II) Algorithm	63	(1)
Theory-language and Idiolect	64	(4)
Learning the Language (Idiolect) of the Interviewee	64	(1)
The Theory-language of a Particular Research Community	65	(3)
Depth-interviewing Designs and the Free-associative/Fully Structured Interviewing Spectrum	68	(1)
Introduction	68	(1)
Heavily Structured Interviewing	68	(1)
Free associative and SQUIN Interviews	69	(1)
Conclusion	70	(1)
PART II: UP TO THE INTERVIEW: STRATEGIES FOR GETTING THE RIGHT MATERIALS	71	(112)
Preparing for any Interviewing Sequence	72	(39)
CRQ-TQ-II Design and Sequenced Combinations of Types of Interview and Selection of Informants Desired	72	(2)
Personal Points of Entry into the Design Pyramid: Top-down Deductivists, Bottom-up Inductivists, Middle-level Research Question Entrists	73	(1)
Theoretical Designing in Principle--not Including Designing of Interview Sessions or Particular Interviewing Strategies	74	(1)
Formulating Purposes and Research Questions, Selecting Interviewees	74	(35)
Purposes and Motivation	74	(3)
Generating Research Questions Around Topics	77	(18)
Sampling and Identifying Possible Informants	95	(11)
Designing Sequenced Combinations of Interviewing Practices	106	(3)
Summary	109	(2)
Preparing Lightly-Structured Depth Interviews: a Design for a BNIM-Type Biographic-Narrative Interview	111	(41)
`Single Question Aimed at Inducing Narrative (SQUIN)' in Context: an Instrumentation Theory and a Design for Narrative Interviewing	111	(7)
Overview	111	(1)
Variability of Narrative Interview Designs	112	(1)
Single-question Interview Sessions	113	(1)
Narrative in Itself and as a TQ-IQ Indicator	114	(4)
The Design of SQUINs for the Purpose of the Biographic-Narrative-Interpretive Method (BNIM)	118	(27)
Overview: three Subsessions, and Usually at Least Two Interviews	119	(2)
Subsession 1 and Interviewer Self-restraint: Note-taking, Active Listening with Non-directional Prompts but Never Probes	121	(16)
The Intersession Gap	137	(1)
Subsession 2: Asking for More Story About Topics Raised Spontaneously in Subsession 1	138	(4)
Self-debriefing on Subsession 2 to Paper or Tape	142	(2)
Subsession 3: Questions Arising, and the Theoretical Relevances of the Interviewer→SSDI	144	(1)
Interlude: Complementary (or Alternative) Research Designs	145	(4)
Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach and Zilber's Narrative-Interview Design	145	(1)
Dolbeare-Schuman-Seidman's Narrative-Interview Design	146	(2)
de Waele and Harre's Written Autobiographical Method	148	(1)
Conclusion: SQUIN-BNIM and the General CRQ-TQ-II Model	149	(3)
Preparing Moderately- or Heavily-Structured Interviews	152	(31)
Variable Stance: Passive Listening to `Active' Interviewing	153	(3)
Listening and Genres of Interviewing Experience	153	(1)
Receptive and Assertive Practices	154	(2)
Formulating IQs and other IIs for TQs and CRQ--General Logic	156	(6)
General Orientation for the Development of Interviewer Questions and other Interventions	156	(4)
The Structure of a TQ-IQ Question Schedule	160	(2)
Formulating IQs and other IIs for TQs and CRQ-in detail	162	(10)
Open and Closed Questions	162	(1)
Leading and Biased Questions Contaminating the Response	163	(4)
Generality/Specificity of Answer	167	(2)
Length of Answer (Amount of Detail) Wanted	169	(1)
Kvale's Process Typology	170	(2)
Indirection and Strategies of Interviewee Text-production	172	(10)
IQs `Echoing' or not `Echoing' TQs	172	(2)
What Kind of Verbal Response (Text) is Wanted?	174	(1)
Getting at Argumentation and Evaluation: Some Examples	175	(7)
Conclusion	182	(1)
PART III: AROUND THE INTERVIEW: CONTACT MANAGEMENT--THEORY AND PRACTICE	183	(24)
Before Making Contact and Starting the Fieldwork Phase of the Research Process	184	(7)
Ethics, Legalities and Practices	184	(3)
Questions of Informant Access to Tape, Transcripts, Interpretations	184	(1)
Legalities and Ethics	184	(3)
Questions of Confidentiality and of Anonymity in any Publication or Use	187	(1)
Pilot the Design: Rehearse the Session with a Volunteer	187	(1)
Getting a List of Possible Interviewees and Making a Shortlist	188	(1)
Making Initial Contact and the Calculation of `Framing'	188	(2)
Questions of Arranging Initial and Possibly Later Sessions	190	(1)
The Session	191	(16)
Technical Management up to the Session	191	(2)
Long-term Forward Planning	191	(1)
Three Weeks Before the Interview: Pre-interview Material	192	(1)
7-10 days Before the Interview	192	(1)
The day Before the Interview	193	(1)
Managing the Session	193	(12)
Overview and Introduction	193	(1)
Key Points in General	194	(10)
Key Points for BNIM Interviewing	204	(1)
Ending the Formal Interview well: the Last Five Minutes and the Reminder of `Post-interview' Arrangements	205	(1)
After the Session: Instant Debriefing to Saturation	206	(1)
PART IV: AFTER THE INTERVIEW: STRATEGIES FOR WORKING THE MATERIALS	207	(94)
Overview	207	(1)
Copying, Indexing and Transcribing	208	(16)
Indexing--Clear Structure for Retrieving Dated Material	208	(1)
Copying--Work only on Copies of Tapes	208	(1)
Transcribing to Spark off Memo-izing and (also) to Produce a Transcript	209	(15)
Transcribing to Produce Memos	210	(2)
Transcribing to Produce a Transcript	212	(12)
Analysing/Interpreting any Interview Materials: Answers to TQs	224	(7)
Overview	224	(1)
General CRQ-TQ-IQ Model: IM→ATQ→ACRQ	224	(3)
The `Judicial Model'	227	(3)
Conclusion	230	(1)
Analysing/Interpreting SQUIN-BNIM Interview Materials: Answers to TQs	231	(70)
Overview	231	(3)
Preliminary Note	231	(1)
The General ATQ→ACRQ Model Applied to this Model	231	(1)
Intermediate Processing: from Raw Material to Processed Data	232	(1)
From Relatively Mechanical Craft to a Craft-based Artistry	233	(1)
Philosophy of BNIM Interpretation	234	(2)
Five Stages of BNIM	234	(1)
TQ Zero--Analysing the Communicative Interaction	234	(2)
Lived Life--Told Story	236	(1)
Generating the BDC and the TSS	236	(19)
Biographical Data Chronology Constructed from Interview and Other Sources	236	(3)
Generating the Told Story (Text Structure) Sequentialization from the Transcript of the Initial Narrative and Eventually from Subsession 2	239	(16)
Doing the BDA and the TFA: Central Principles of Datum-by-Datum Analysis	255	(29)
Datum-by-Datum Predictive Analysis and Retrospective Checking	256	(2)
Panel work, Predictive Hypothesizing and Counter-hypothesizing	258	(1)
Biographical Data Analysis of the BD Chronology	259	(12)
Thematic Field Analysis of the Text Structure Sequentialization	271	(13)
The Actual Told Story and the Original Possible Told Stories	284	(1)
Towards Creating a `History' and `Structure' of the Case	284	(15)
Representation of the History of the Case	285	(7)
Microanalysis of Selected Text Segments: Part-whole Analysis	292	(1)
From Case-history and Microanalysis towards `A Structure for the Case'	293	(6)
Towards Theorizing the Case Life-history and Structure in the Light of your Research Problematic (RP-CRQ-TQ)	299	(2)
PART V: COMPARISON OF CASES: FROM CONTINGENCIES OF CASES TO TYPES OF TYPOLOGIES	301	(12)
Resources for Typification and General-Models Within Single-Case Research	302	(8)
Multiplying Contingencies for Cases, Multiplying Types for Typologies	303	(2)
Differences/typologies between the Particular and the General	305	(5)
Types of Typologies	310	(3)
A Typology of Typologies	310	(2)
Typologies of Behaviour, Typologies of System	310	(1)
Other Distinctions	310	(2)
Conclusion	312	(1)
PART VI: WRITING UP: STRATEGIES OF RE/PRESENTATION	313	(67)
Introduction	313	(1)
Conceptual Frameworks for Studying and Re/presenting	314	(23)
The Problem: how is Understanding held, Conveyed, and Contested?	314	(2)
Polkinghorne on Conveying Understanding by Bruner's Modes of `Paradigmatic' and `Narrative' Exposition	314	(2)
Forms of Collection Distinguished from Forms of Presentation	316	(1)
A Post-Spradley Conceptual Framework for Re/presentation	317	(7)
The Six-level, Two-column Grid Derived from Spradley	317	(3)
Zig-zagging between Columns and Across Levels	320	(4)
Relating Theorization, Typology and Quotation	324	(13)
Accounts of Accounts and going Beyond them	324	(9)
How Researchers Construct Different Relations between their Theorizations and their Data	333	(1)
Balance of Theorization, Typology and Quotation by Section	334	(3)
Writings up: Theorizing and Narrating in `Presentation' Strategies	337	(25)
Introduction	337	(4)
Disclaimer: Collect Examples and Describe Structure	337	(1)
Answering the CRQ-TQs-Default Genre	337	(1)
Data-loss/Condensation as Emergent Condensed Re/presentation--News of Difference	337	(4)
Macro-planning and Micro-planning	341	(2)
Structure in Sections and Pages for Wordage	341	(1)
Intuitive and Counter-intuitive Structuring-strategies	341	(2)
Psycho-portraits	343	(15)
Comparative Psycho-portraits	344	(3)
Psycho-biographies: from Outside or Inside?	347	(7)
Possible Models for a `Synthetic Account' of Multiple Informants	354	(4)
Matrices and Flow-charts	358	(4)
Flow-charts	359	(2)
Matrices	361	(1)
`Writing up' Biographic Sub-genres: Suggestions by way of a Conclusion	362	(18)
Introduction	362	(1)
`Writing up Harold' in more `Socio' or more `Psycho' Directions	363	(3)
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Ruthrof's Typology of Told-Story, Presented-World, Positions	366	(2)
Appendix B: Critical Linguistics/Semiotics Model	368	(10)
The CLS Model	368	(1)
CLS Model--Close Analysis of a Text Segment from Harold's Interview	369	(9)
Appendix C: Informal Paralinguistics: A More Elaborate Example	378	(2)
Bibliography	380	(11)
Index	391