Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad

In-depth interviewing
Generally, the more intense the interaction, the more time
people will need to wind down emotionally. Always leave time for
some day-to-day conversation at the end of the interview—some
people will not want to engage at this level but for others it will be
an important part of the closure process. It shows you have a
genuine interest in them as a person and not just a research topic.
Saying yes to a cup of tea that is offered can be an important message
of acceptance of the interviewee as a person. It is unlikely to
signal the opening of the floodgates of never-ending contact, as
some researchers may fear. It is more likely to provide the time and
space for a real and meaningful interaction that enables both
researcher and participant to effectively disengage from the relationship.
Remember that in many cases people achieve a level of
sharing and disclosure about themselves in in-depth interviews
that is rare in everyday life; it is important that they feel they have
been dealt with sensitively and are not left feeling emotionally raw
or used.
Sometimes the researcher will need some assistance to work
through emotions aroused during interviews. In the case of research
on topics that are potentially disturbing, it is important to have a
debriefing strategy worked out beforehand. Writing down your
reactions can be a valuable aid to debriefing, as can talking with a
supervisor or trusted colleague, but be careful not to jeopardise
confidentiality.
Focus groups
Long used in market research, focus groups have been increasingly
used in social science research since the 1980s. This is still a developing
area and the trend is towards expansion of the possibilities for
their use rather than narrowly prescribing how and when they
should be used (Morgan 1997). Like interviews, focus groups vary
on a continuum from highly structured through to relatively
unstructured and data obtained from focus groups can be analysed
quantitatively or qualitatively.
Focus groups share many of the advantages of in-depth interviews
as a means of data collection. Basch says, for example, that
‘Focus group interviews are particularly well suited to collecting
in-depth, qualitative data about individuals’ definitions of problems,
opinions and feelings, and meanings associated with various
phenomena’ (1987, p. 434).
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