ABSTRACT
This chapter considers an important distinction between two major styles of interviewing: respondent interviews and informant interviews. It traces this distinction through three separate strands- survey interviews, ethnographic research, being bridged by clinical methodologies- which, over time, have shaped interviewing. These historical antecedents have given way to a multiplicity of methodological variations. The chapter looks at some of these variations and considers pragmatic issues involved in each. Interviews may not be the only source of data within a particular research design. In some cases they may be the main source, supplemented with observational field notes, questionnaires, and repertory grids and so on. The two most common methods of recording interviews are by field notes and by audio tape recording. The drawbacks include the possibility of the interviewee giving short, non-committal responses, the difficulty of using visual tasks, of deciding whether the interviewee understands the question, or of accessing sensitive, or affective information.
