Since interviews are so widely used in qualitative research, I'm going to look at them further here.
Types of interviews
Interviews can be seen as a "joint construction about selves and the social world," as both the researcher and the researched work together to learn about the phenomenon of interest. Interviews can be completely unstructured, with only a broad, open-ended question to keep the phenomenon of interest in mind. They may instead be semi-structured, in which there is a pre-planned guide to direct the interaction, but most questions used are open-ended and allow for a variety of responses.
Focus groups are an offshoot of interviews that I will cover in a little more detail, given that I'll be running focus groups for my Honours project. Instead of being one-on-one like a traditional interview, focus groups involve a small group of around 4-8 participants, allowing participants to bounce ideas off one another in a supportive environment. Usually, no more than 10 participants are involved, as all participants need to have the opportunity to share their views. Sometimes, homogeneity between participants is desired in order to capitalise on shared experiences; other times, heterogeneity may be preferred.
There are also sub-types of focus groups. In concerned focus groups, participants have a stake in the topic. In naive focus groups, on the other hand, participants do not have a particular commitment to the topic.
Of course, there are many other types of interviews outside of traditional one-on-one interviews and focus groups. For instance, interviews may be conducted over the computer or phone. Interviews may also be conducted while moving around, which might be useful in cases where you want the participants to "show you around their world."
Conducting interviews
Unless you are conducting a completely unstructured interview, chances are you will need an interview guide. The number of questions should be kept as small as possible in order to avoid over-questioning your participants. Questions should be kept open-ended and free of jargon or awkward phrasing that might make interpretation difficult. The order of questions is also important: broader, less-invasive questions should be asked before more invasive questions; questions addressing a similar theme should be grouped together; and final questions should invite the participant to fill in any unexplored gaps. Once you have created your interview guide, you should test it on a friend or a colleague.
Before the interview, you should remind your participants and test your recording equipment. If this is one of a series of interviews with the same participant, you should read over previous transcripts to refresh your memory. You should also consider what style of dress would be most appropriate for the interview, as certain styles of dress may put off or intimidate particular groups of participants.
During the interview, after checking the recording equipment again, you should explain who you are and what your study is about. You should also emphasise how data will be kept private and anonymous. While actively listening to your participants, you should record non-verbal communication, biographical objects that your participant may have brought in, and other characteristics that are important for your research. You may also consider using aids yourself (visual or otherwise) to help stimulate participant recall. Throughout the interview, remind yourself of your research questions, but make sure not to ask them all at once. Once the interview is finished, be sure to thank your participant for their involvement in your research.
After the interview, write down some notes about the interview while it is still fresh in your mind. You should also thank participants formally and consider asking them for their feedback. Later on, you can start transcription and analysis. There are many transcription methods that you can use, but I don't know enough about them to discuss them here.
References
Sparkes, AC & Smith, B 2013, Qualitative Research Methods in Sport, Exercise and Health: From Process to Product, Taylor & Francis Ltd, London.
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