ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out a range of issues in designing, planning, conducting and reporting interviews in educational research, including: what an interview really is (with different interpretations); purposes; types (e.g. in-depth, ethnographic, elite, structured, life history, exploratory, conversational, semi-structured); conducting interviews; group interviews; interviewing children, minority and marginalized groups; focus groups; non-directive, focused, problem-centred and in-depth interviews; ethical interviews; administering interviews (face-to-face, telephone, online). The chapter provides very practical advice on interview design, conduct (and sensitivities) and analysis, together with challenges and how to address them. It sets out a ten-stage sequence from considering to designing to constructing to conducting to analysing to reporting interviews. Emphasis is placed on the interview as a social situation as well as a data-collection instrument, bringing issues of interpersonal and non-verbal behaviour, language use, sensitive questioning, making interview situations unthreatening and handling personalities and responses sensitively. This means that studious attention must be given to interview preparation.
