![Semi-structured interviewing feels the same as unstructured interviewing
but an interview guide is used. The interview guide is a written list of
questions and topics that need to be covered by each informant. It may also
include instructions on particular things to look out for. The advantages of
this type of interviewing are fourfold: a) the informant can express himself in
his own terms; b) the interviewer can follow up any leads that arise during
the interview; c) the data from the interviews is comparable because the
same topics have been covered with each informant; and d) the data can be
analysed statistically if those interviewed have been selected using the
principles of probability sampling. The answers are written down in the
presence of the informant.
Structured interviewing involves exposing every informant in a sample to
the same stimuli [e.g. the same questions asked in the same manner]. The
idea is to control the input that triggers each informant’s responses so that
the output can be reliably compared. The most common form of structured
interviewing is the questionnaire (Bernard, 1988:225). Here, we are
concerned only with questionnaires that are administered in person and the
answers are recorded on a form, often with codes. There are few
circumstances in which postal questionnaires or those administered over
the phone would be of any value to serious social research.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/chapter7qualitativeresearchmethodologies-220526012202-f530b0fa/85/Chapter-7-Qualitative-Research-Methodologies-ppt-9-320.jpg)
Chapter 7 Qualitative Research Methodologies.ppt
- 1. Prof. ir. Panchito M. Labay FORD Fellow
- 2. Participant-Observation Approach (POA) --most common approach is immersion or fieldwork in a community and lives with the people --remaining an insider despite of being an outsider --usually done covertly, the researcher is an ‘alien’ in the community --if the researcher has very limited knowledge about the community, then he or she needs to be a ‘convert’ Ethnography Fieldwork --each person is a reflection of their culture that all their gestures, displays, symbols, songs, sayings and everything else has some folk, implicit, tacit meaning for others in that culture --data collection methods include interviews, field of observations, diaries and letters Fieldwork is so important in ethnography to understand deeper the lives of other cultures.
- 3. Roles to be followed by the researcher: Complete participation -- researcher participates in a certain activity and goes on to actively influence the direction of the group Participant as observer -- the researcher participates in a certain activity but does not try to influence the direction of the group Observer as participant -- the researcher participates in a one-time activity but then takes a back seat to any further activities Complete observation -- the researcher is a member of the group but does not participate in any activity A researcher may join in fishing with the local fishermen in order to understand more their lifeworld through POA.
- 4. Other methods used: Photography or filmmaking is ethnography with recording equipment. It can give multiple interpretations and reaching a wider audience. Ethnographic film reports or documentary done by Probe, XXX, etc. Oral history is the recording of people speaking in their own words, about their life experiences, both public and private, in ways that are unavailable in writing. Ethnomethodology is the study of commonsense knowledge that can be understood more if the researcher do or act something awkward, weird or silly, maybe breaking some norms and observe how the people react to him or her actions. Ex. TV shows like just for laugh & other gag shows Dramaturgy is like ethnomethodology but generally applied in psychiatric study, acting like a psychiatric patient while interviewing mental patients. There are times that as researcher you have to act like a weird person to understand how the people around you react about your actions.
- 5. There is no precise rules and procedures in doing fieldwork. What you do depends on the situation, the purpose of the study, the nature of the setting and the skills, interests, needs and point of view of the observer. Some important steps for fieldwork: 1. Make a PLAN on how to do the fieldwork. Aside from tape recorder, always ready with a field log and field diary for making field notes and field jottings 2. A field log is a running of how you plan to spend your time, how you actually spend your time and how much money you spend. A field log should be kept in bound books of blank, lined pages. Don’t use a skimpy little notebook, use a six- by-eight-inch book, or even larger. Each day you are in the field should be represented by a double page of the log. The pages on the left should list what you plan to do on any given day. The facing pages will recount what you actually do each day. 3. Keep a note pad with you at all times for field jottings where you can write down anything you see or think is important. The research population usually not offended when you are writing your notes in front of them. The researcher should use his own discretion about this, because there are many situations where it would be insensitive to do so or it would alter the interaction between the researcher and his informant. Whenever you get the opportunity, jot down a few key words, which you can use to help your recall when you write up your notes. The filed jottings should help you to recall what happened during the day; but you should work out other ways to jog your memory.
- 6. 4. A field diary is about your personal experiences, feelings, loneliness and reflections about the fieldwork you did. This can help also in contextualising the results of the fieldwork as well as in reflecting to your personal biases. Results of this can be also helpful in coming up with better procedures in doing other related research work. These personal reactions give colour to your research, regardless of whether or not they are written down. By writing it down, you are confronting yourself with your biases. Some generic guidelines for conducting fieldwork: 1. Be descriptive in taking field notes. 2. Gather a variety of information from different perspectives. 3. Cross-validate and triangulate by gathering different kinds of data. Example: observations, interviews, program documentation, recordings and photographs. 4. Use quotations; represent program participants in their own terms. Capture participants' views of their own experiences in their own words. 5. Select key informants wisely and use them carefully. Draw on the wisdom of their informed perspectives, but keep in mind that their perspectives are limited. 6. Be aware of and sensitive to the different stages of fieldwork. 7. Draw maps or diagrams of the location, including your movements and any reaction by others 8. Write quickly and don't worry about spelling; devise your own system of punctuation 9. Avoid evaluative judgments or summarising; don't call something "dirty" for example, describe it 10. Include your own thoughts and feelings in a separate section; your later thoughts in another section 11. Always make backup copies of your notes and keep them in a separate location
- 7. Things to be observed while doing the fieldwork • Build trust and rapport at the entry stage. Remember that the researcher-observer is also being observed and evaluated. • Stay alert and disciplined during the more routine middle-phase of fieldwork. • Focus on pulling together a useful synthesis as fieldwork draws to a close. • Be disciplined and conscientious in taking detailed field notes at all stages of fieldwork. • Be as involved as possible in experiencing the observed setting as fully as possible while maintaining an analytical perspective grounded in the purpose of the fieldwork: to conduct research. • Clearly separate description from interpretation and judgment. • Provide formative feedback as part of the verification process of fieldwork. Time that feedback carefully. Observe its impact. • Include in your field notes and observations reports of your own experiences, thoughts, and feelings. These are also field data.
- 8. Types of Interviews Bernard (1988:203) make distinctions between four different types: informal, unstructured, semi-structured and structured. Informal interviewing is represented by casual conversation; but he/she may try to steer it on topics that interest him. This type of interviewing is essential during the first part of research. Normally they are recorded in the filed notes, along with observations. Unstructured interviewing is not informal in that the interviewer and the informant know that it is an interview. Therefore, notes are often written in front of the informant. The interviewer has a plan of topics in his or her mind; but he or she has minimum control over the informant’s responses. Then, tries to get people to open up and express themselves in their own pace. These first two types of interviews may be referred to as open-ended or informal interviews in other parts of the text.
- 9. Semi-structured interviewing feels the same as unstructured interviewing but an interview guide is used. The interview guide is a written list of questions and topics that need to be covered by each informant. It may also include instructions on particular things to look out for. The advantages of this type of interviewing are fourfold: a) the informant can express himself in his own terms; b) the interviewer can follow up any leads that arise during the interview; c) the data from the interviews is comparable because the same topics have been covered with each informant; and d) the data can be analysed statistically if those interviewed have been selected using the principles of probability sampling. The answers are written down in the presence of the informant. Structured interviewing involves exposing every informant in a sample to the same stimuli [e.g. the same questions asked in the same manner]. The idea is to control the input that triggers each informant’s responses so that the output can be reliably compared. The most common form of structured interviewing is the questionnaire (Bernard, 1988:225). Here, we are concerned only with questionnaires that are administered in person and the answers are recorded on a form, often with codes. There are few circumstances in which postal questionnaires or those administered over the phone would be of any value to serious social research.
- 10. Procedure for Interviewing Before you begin an interview, you should tell your informant the following points: • Explain who you are. In some cases, you may need a letter of introduction or identification • Explain what the research is about in general terms. Be prepared to answer additional questions and remember to be consistent in your answers. • Assure informants of protecting their ideas. • Explain that you want to know what they think. • Explain why it is important that you have their cooperation, e.g. because you want to maintain representative ness or because they have special knowledge. • Ask all informants for permission to record the interview with notes and/or a tape recorder. • Encourage them to interrupt you during the interview if they do not understand the question or if they have any additional information that they think might be important for you to know.
- 11. Thank you, because we have just finished some of the methodologies in Qualitative Research