ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 presents the rules for creating the basic tool in qualitative research – the discussion guide. A qualitative research script isn’t a survey questionnaire requiring the same questions to be posed identically to each respondent. A script (often called a topic guide or discussion guide, which perfectly reflects its specificity) merely sets the direction in which the discussion is heading. It should be focused on the research goals and problems, which are going to be discussed, rather than on phrasing specific questions. The role of the interview script as the moderator’s vital tool changes along with the experience gained by the moderator but it still plays a very important role as a communication tool with the client. It shows whether the issues that are important to the client will be reflected in the interview, the order of the topics discussed, as well as the projective and enabling techniques used along with their intended purpose. A qualitative interview script is not a questionnaire and is not about phrasing specific questions to be put during the interview in an identical form and order but about showing the areas and ways of searching for information.
