Analyzing Interviews: A Comprehensive Guide
In the realm of research and investigation, two distinct methods of information gathering – qualitative research and investigative interviews – have their unique purposes and approaches.
Qualitative research interviews focus on delving deep into participants' experiences, beliefs, motivations, and emotions. Unlike their investigative counterparts, these interviews often adopt an open-ended, unstructured or semi-structured format, allowing for rich, nuanced responses that reveal the "why" behind behaviours and perceptions.
On the other hand, investigative interviews, common in law enforcement or intelligence contexts, are more goal-directed. They aim to obtain specific facts, verify information, or uncover evidence related to an event or crime. These interviews often employ structured, strategic questioning to detect inconsistencies or elicit truthful disclosures.
While these methods differ in their purpose and structure, qualitative researchers can learn valuable strategies from investigative techniques.
One such strategy is systematic question framing and follow-ups. Investigative methods emphasize carefully designed, purposeful questions that guide the interview while allowing verification and clarification. Qualitative researchers can incorporate more strategic probing and follow-up questions to deepen understanding without losing openness.
Another strategy is the balanced use of structure. Investigative interviews often balance open exploration with structured elements to cover essential topics comprehensively. Qualitative researchers can combine unstructured and semi-structured approaches, starting with open-ended dialogue, then using a checklist or a priori concepts, to ensure both participant-driven insight and coverage of key areas.
Rapport and trust building are also crucial in both methods, but investigative interviews often use more deliberate techniques to build trust quickly and reduce defensiveness. Qualitative researchers can learn nuanced rapport-building strategies from investigative interviewing to encourage honest, detailed participant responses.
Attention to non-verbal cues and context is another area where both methods overlap. Investigative interviews emphasize observing body language and environmental context; qualitative interviews also value this but can strengthen these observational skills to enhance interpretation of nuanced responses.
In sum, while qualitative interviews prioritize depth, narrative richness, and participant-driven discovery, adopting investigative interview techniques around question design, structure, rapport, and systematic exploration can help qualitative researchers obtain clearer, more comprehensive, and credible data without sacrificing the openness and context-dependence essential to qualitative inquiry.
[1] Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. SAGE Publications.
[2] Fisher, R. A., Geiselman, R. E., & Paik, J. S. (1993). Cognitive interviewing: A review of the research. Law and Human Behavior, 17(3), 243-272.
[3] Morse, J. M. (2009). Qualitative research methods: Integrating words and images. SAGE Publications.
[4] Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data. SAGE Publications.
[5] Meier, D. E. (2005). Structured and semi-structured interviewing. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 475-488). SAGE Publications.
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