Page 478 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

RESEARCH INTERVIEWS (QUAlITATIVE) n 445

as themes emerge and as data from other par- interview to return to a topic, to ask a hypo-
ticipants suggest additional leads. Questions thetical question, or to request new, related
should be unambiguous, meaningful, and information. These taped interviews are tran- R
successful in involving the interviewee in scribed as soon as possible by the researcher
the process. The participants in the research or a transcriptionist and cross-checked
are often helpful in critiquing the usefulness against the audiotape for accuracy.
and appropriateness of the questions and Interviewing establishes the foundation
suggesting others that may be more relevant for data analysis. The researcher’s interview
or successful in obtaining the desired data. questions and responses to the interviewee
Interviews are of two types: formal and must be analyzed in a reflexive manner to
informal. Formal interviews are scheduled as ascertain the quality of the interview. Is the
to time and place and generally occur over a interviewer cutting off the interviewee? Is the
period of 1 to 2 hours. Informal interviews are interviewer asking closed instead of open-
those used in participant observation, when ended questions? Is the interviewer asking
the interviewer spends time in a specific envi- relevant questions in a sensitive way? Is
ronment and interviews participants as they the interviewer giving the interviewee time
appear on the scene or around a significant to reflect and to complete his or her com-
event. Although effective interviews, espe- ments? Unfocused, insensitive interviewing
cially informal ones, may appear simple and yields poor data. Quality data result from
comfortable, an expert interviewer is always the expression of affective responses and
both in and out of the interview. The inter- detailed personal information.
viewer listens carefully to the interviewee The complexity of interviewing becomes
and anticipates how to direct the interview apparent in varied contexts. Interviewing
to accomplish the aims of the research. individuals from a culture different from
Interviews are characterized as struc- that of the interviewer presents other issues;
tured and focused when all questions are likewise, interviewing the extremely poor or
given in the same order to participants. the extremely rich has its own sets of prob-
Interviews in qualitative research studies are lems. In the past, nurses have relied on socio-
generally semifocused ones in which infor- logical and anthropological researchers for
mation about a certain subject is desired guidance. Nurse methodologists agree that it
from all participants, but the phrasing and is now time to identify and address issues in
sequence of the questions may be varied to interviewing that are especially relevant to
reflect the characteristics of the participants nursing topics and populations.
in the context. Time is permitted to encour- Good interviews provide access to the
age participants to introduce other subjects heart. Such personal information, essential
that they believe are relevant and to elabo- to qualitative research that aims to access
rate, often with the help of the interviewer’s human meaning, is a gift. The researcher
probes, on earlier comments. Participants’ reciprocates by listening carefully and
interpretations of meanings and definitions attempting to render or interpret the expe-
are valued. Such information is obtained rience of the other as accurately as possible.
only through open-ended questions and An insensitive interviewer can harm the
free-flowing conversation that follow the interviewee, leaving the person psychologi-
thinking of the interviewee. In a sense, the cally depleted or even wounded. Good inter-
interviewee teaches the researcher about a viewers leave interviewees feeling that they
particular experience or event. gained from the interview.
Interviews are generally tape-recorded,
and the researcher takes handwritten notes Sally A. Hutchinson
that jog his or her memory during the Holly Skodol Wilson