Module 20: Doing Qualitative Interviews

This module is part of the Social Science Research Methods Course programme which is a shared platform for providing research students with a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research.

The module provides an overview of interviewing as a social research method - guidance on planning interviews, pre-interview and post-interview tasks, positionality and ethics. It also provides an introduction to module structure, based on a specific interview topic. It concentrates on the processes of organising information after interviews, including interpretation through coding and close reading. Case Studies will look at PhD research on perceptions of forest use in Madagascar; in particualar the process of gathering qualitative interviews - planning through transcription to analysis. Looking at issues of gaining access and introducing sensitive research to interviewees, creating a good interview environment; the ethics of researching controversial/illegal topics.

Mphil Students from participating departments taking the Social Science Research Methods Course as part of their research degree

• Session 1: Introduction to interviews and module outline
• Session 2: Methods of interpretation and coding
• Session 3: Case Study 1: Ethics and participatory research
• Session 4: Case Study 2: How to find your interviewee

The objectives of -

• Session 1 is to provide an overview of interviewing and introduction to the module structure
• Session 2 is to concentrate on processes - organising information
• Session 3 is look at processes of gathering data from planning to analysis
• Session 4 is to focus on issues of ethics, positionality and logistics

• To provide an overview of interviewing as a social research method

Presentations only

• Thompson, P. & Perks, R. Introduction to Oral History Telling it how it was: a Guide to Recording Oral History. BBC Education.
• Humphries, S. (1984) The Handbook of Oral History: Recording Life Stories. Inter Action.
• Dunaway, D. & Baum, W.K. (eds.),(1997). Oral History: an Interdisciplinary Anthology, (2nd ed). Altamira Press ASSLH Primer Series.
• Flowerdew, R. & Martin, D. (2005). Methods in Human Geography: a Guide for Students Doing a Research Project. (2nd ed). Harlow: Prentice Hall.
• Ely, M. & Anzul, M. (1991). Doing Qualitative Research: Circles within Circles, London: Falmer.
• Eyles, J. & Smith, D.M. (1988) Qualitative Methods in Human Geography. Cambridge: Polity.

• To gain the maximum benefits from the course it is important that students do not see this course in isolation from the other MPhil courses or research training they are taking. Responsibility lies with each student to consider the potential for their own research using methods common in fields of the social sciences that may seem remote. Ideally this task will be facilitated by integration of the SSRMC with discipline-specific courses in their departments and through reading and discussion.

Four sessions of 1.5hours

Four times in Lent term