ABSTRACT
The interview is the most widely used method to collect qualitative data in the sport and exercise sciences. As Jachyra, Atkinson and Gibson (2014) put it, if “there is an epistemological lingua franca in qualitative research on sport, it is interviewing” (p. 568). Despite being a mainstay method for data collection, as they also make clear, we should not treat interviews as the default option for collecting qualitative data nor regard interviewing as simple. When interviews are treated as the default choice, or regarded as a method that is easy to design and do well, there is the very real danger of creating a launch pad for poor research. Accordingly, in this chapter we first lay some foundations by presenting a definition of an interview, differentiating between types of interview in terms of structure and participant numbers, and outlining specific kinds of interviewing. Building on this, telephone, mobile, and online interviews are described. In order to help make further informed choices, next we attend explicitly to why we might choose to use interviews. Following this, a large range of practical tips for how to “do” interviews is offered. Two common questions are then tackled: “How many people should I interview,” and “How do you know your participant is telling the truth?” Finally, we offer some reflections on the problems with qualitative interviewing and indicate some ways these might be overcome.
