Problem:
The qualitative interview conducted reinforced that interviewing is an interpretive and relational process rather than a routine exchange of questions and answers. Rubin and Rubin (2012) describe qualitative interviewing as "hearing data," which requires attentiveness, flexibility, and reflexivity. Re-listening to the interview recording and reviewing my notes allowed me to critically evaluate my performance as an interviewer. One change I would make in future interviews is to allow more silence after participant responses. At several points, I moved too quickly to follow-up questions, unintentionally limiting opportunities for deeper reflection. Rubin and Rubin (2012) emphasize that pauses often encourage participants to expand their thoughts and reveal more complex meanings. Allowing silence would likely enhance the richness of the data. A second change would be to rely less rigidly on the interview guide and engage in more responsive probing. While the guide helped maintain structure, I sometimes prioritized covering all questions rather than exploring emergent themes. As noted in Walden University's (2016) interviewing techniques video, effective qualitative interviewing requires adaptability to follow participants' perspectives as they unfold.
One surprising aspect of the interview was how quickly rapport developed despite the phone format. I initially assumed that the absence of visual cues might hinder connection, but the interviewee appeared comfortable sharing thoughtful and detailed responses. This aligns with recent qualitative scholarship emphasizing that rapport is built through active listening and reflexive engagement rather than physical proximity (Braun & Clarke, 2021). Overall, this experience highlighted the value of interviewing as a qualitative data collection tool. Interviews allow researchers to access participants' meanings, interpretations, and lived experiences in ways that structured instruments cannot. When conducted reflexively, interviewing produces rich, contextualized data while also requiring researchers to critically examine how their role shapes the research process. This reflection strengthened my understanding of interviewing as both a methodological skill and an ethical, relational practice. Need Assignment Help?
References:
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328-352.
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016). Doctoral research: Interviewing techniques, part one [Video]. Walden University.
This is a colleague post above.
Hello Tutors,
Respond to at least one of your colleagues' posts and provide additional insight you gained from your interviewing. Offer suggestions to your colleagues as to other changes they may want to consider.
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