Women's Decision-Making And Factors Affecting Their Choice Of ...

access participants' private accounts as maximum rapport may be established
(Secker, Wimbush, Watson et al 1995; West 1990).
Some authors have given different views about the value of qualitative
research in creating a conducive environment for participants to tell the absolute
truth. For example, it is argued that such interviews do not necessarily lead to the
exchange of unique human experiences (Silverman 1993). Silverman contends
that the approach seems to blend a self-evident truth about humanity with political
correctness about the need for mutual understanding and dialogue. Another view
is that however informal, an interview is not the same as a conversation because
participants are 'put on notice' to talk about something, which may or may not be
of interest to them (Dingwall 1997).
The third quality of qualitative research is flexibility, which makes
qualitative studies to be especially suitable for exploratory or hypothesis
generating enquiries. With qualitative interviews, the researcher is able to open
up new dimensions and follow interesting leads which may not have been
anticipated before the start of the interview (Britten 1995; Burgess 1982; Denzin
1970). The power of qualitative research to generate ideas and theories is attested
to in a study of health education programmes (de Vries, Weijts, Dijkstra et al
1992). In another study looking at lay beliefs and responses to hypertensive
therapy, the qualitative interview was shown to be very flexible, allowing the
researcher to explore lay logic underpinning their decisions to act in a manner
contrary to the advice of their doctor (Morgan and Watkins 1988).
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