Deck 9: How Do Researchers Learn About Peoples Perspectives and Lives Qualitative Interviewing

Question 1

Which of the following is not a way that qualitative and structured interviews differ?

A) Qualitative interviews typically employ an open-ended structure.
B) Qualitative interviews focus on how interviewees interpret and make sense of the world.
C) In qualitative interviews, researchers can ask probing questions.
D) Qualitative interviews explore topics rather than focusing on topics predetermined by the researcher.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The informal conversation between May and a man denied entry to a nightclub is an example of ___________________.

A) A structured interview
B) An unstructured interview
C) A semi-structured interview
D) None of these

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which type of interview is most similar to an actual conversation?

A) A structured interview
B) An unstructured interview
C) A semi-structured interview
D) None of these

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not a characteristic of an unstructured interview?

A) Question about knowledge
B) Question about attitudes and beliefs
C) Factual question about an entity or event
D) Question about others

Question 5

When a researcher uses a detailed interview guide for all respondents to explore certain topics in depth, this is called ____________.

A) A structured interview
B) An unstructured interview
C) A semi-structured interview
D) None of these

Question 6

Which of the following is a reason that a researcher may choose a semi-structured interview method?

A) Researchers want to access the worldview of the participants in an unhindered way
B) Only one person will be conducting interviews.
C) Multiple people will be interviewing respondents.
D) Researchers are exploring a new topic.

Question 7

A type of qualitative interview where the interviewee is asked to report on their experiences and events during their life is called a ___________.

A) Life history
B) Semi-structured interview
C) Oral history
D) Unstructured interview

Question 8

An interview where an interviewee is asked to reflect on certain historical events or eras is called a(n)__________________.

A) Life history
B) Semi-structured interview
C) Oral history
D) Unstructured interview

Question 9

Which of the following is not a catalogue of questions identified by Atkinson related to life history interviews?

A) Birth and family of original
B) Love and work
C) Political attitudes
D) Vision of the future

Question 10

___________ is the chief challenge with the oral history interview.

A) Memory lapses and distortions
B) Missing documents and photographs
C) Finding archival documents
D) Lack of respondents

Question 11

Which qualitative interview method explores experiences along a timeline?

A) Life history
B) Oral history
C) Synchronic report
D) Diachronic report

Question 12

Which qualitative interview method involves dividing topics into its significant factors and how they relate to one another?

A) Life history
B) Oral history
C) Synchronic report
D) Diachronic report

Question 13

A specific plan for conducting a qualitative interview is called a(n) _____________.

A) Interview guide
B) Oral history
C) Synchronic report
D) Diachronic report

Question 14

Which of the following is not true of an effective interview guide?

A) Explores the research questions in enough depth
B) Use language that is understandable and familiar to interviewees
C) Ensure clear and set question ordering
D) Avoid judgements and leading questions

Question 15

Effective ordering should include which of the following?

A) Controversial questions in the middle
B) Warm up questions at the end
C) Cool down questions at the beginning
D) Important questions to the participants at the end

Question 16

Becoming familiar with the interviewee's situation and environment entails which of the following factors?

A) All of these
B) The roles they play
C) The responsibilities they hold
D) The language they use

Question 17

Which of the following is not a concern about choosing an appropriate location for the interview?

A) Quiet enough to record effectively
B) Private enough to ensure confidentiality
C) A public location to ensure safety
D) Not too secluded

Question 18

Which characteristic of a successful interviewer, according to Kyale, involves knowing what paths and threads to pursue in the conversation?

A) Steering
B) Structuring
C) Critical
D) Remembering

Question 19

Which characteristic of a successful interviewer, according to Kyale, clarifying and extending the meaning of the interviewees' statements without imposing meaning on them?

A) Steering
B) Remembering
C) Critical
D) Interpreting

Question 20

Kristin makes sure to let people finish, gives them time to think, and tolerates silences in the course of conducting an interview. Which characteristic of a successful interview is she demonstrating?

A) Clear
B) Gentle
C) Sensitive
D) Open

Question 21

Which of the following is not one of the characteristics that the authors added to Kyale's list of characteristics?

A) Ethically sensitive
B) Critical
C) Balanced
D) Non-judgemental

Question 22

Being ethically sensitive as an interviewer involves all of the following except _______.

A) Having a clear sense of professional ethics
B) Communicating no judgement about what an interviewee says
C) Treating answers confidentially
D) Respect personal risks

Question 23

Another word for "research partnership" is ______________.

A) Friendship
B) Professionalism
C) None of these
D) Rapport

Question 24

Which of the following is not a way that the issue of power can impact an interview?

A) The researcher holding a higher social position than the participant
B) Interviewees sharing personal information with the interviewer
C) The participant holding a higher status than the interviewer
D) The researcher being in a different racial category than the interviewee

Question 25

Which of the following does not reflect Espiritu's approach to her interviews with Filipina immigrants

A) It is best for researchers to share nothing about themselves with the interviewees.
B) A feminist approach reduces the power imbalance between the researcher and the interviewee.
C) Though her experiences differed in some ways from her respondents, she shared her story in the interview process.
D) Mutual sharing yields more information and greater trust.

Question 26

Which of the following best reflects the power dynamics identified by Mayorga-Gallo and Hordge-Freeman?

A) Each researcher experienced the power dynamics in the same way.
B) A binary insider-outsider perspective was evident.
C) Researchers identified that there power as researchers permeated all the research settings during the interviews.
D) The researchers realized that their power depended on who they interacted with and where they were.

Question 27

Which of the following is not an accurate understanding of rapport?

A) Rapport is easier to achieve in face-to-face interactions.
B) Rapport has to be established fairly quickly.
C) Rapport is easier to establish when the participants share life experiences or characteristics with the interviewer.
D) Rapport is simply achieved with friendliness.

Question 28

What type of question is the following? "What do you mean by that?"

A) Introducing question
B) Follow-up question
C) Specifying question
D) Direct question

Question 29

An example of a direct question is which of the following?

A) What effect did the event have on you?
B) What do most people around here think of the ways that management treats its staff?
C) Are you happy with the way you and your partner decide how money should be spent?
D) Do you mean that your leadership role had to change from one of encouraging others to a more directive one?

Question 30

Which of the following is not an aspect of active listening?

A) Paying attention to body language
B) Filling silences to avoid awkwardness
C) Staying attuned to what is being said
D) Paying attention to what is not being said

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of flexibility in interviewing?

A) Following the interview schedule precisely
B) Varying the ordering of questions based on responses
C) Maintaining rapport by not probing for clarity
D) None of these

Question 32

Who was the focus of Comfort and team's research?

A) Women with incarcerated male partners
B) Incarcerated men
C) Correctional officers
D) Men with incarcerated female partners

Question 33

Comfort and team found that ____________________.

A) Correctional officers assumed the actions of female visitor's was sexual in nature.
B) Correctional officers strictly regulated the actions of incarcerated men in visiting areas.
C) Incarcerated men enticed their partners into misbehavior.
D) None of these

Question 34

When is the best time for a researcher to record thoughts about the interview process?

A) During the interview
B) Immediately after the interview
C) It is not necessary to take notes if the interview is recorded
D) Once all interviews are completed

Question 35

Which of the following is not something the researcher should take note of after the interview is completed?

A) How the interview went
B) Which questions were asked during the interview
C) The interviewee's reactions and expressions
D) The interviewers feelings about the interview

Question 36

Which of the following is not a reason to record the interview?

A) Nearly all respondents understand and accept being interviewed.
B) Recording the interview allows for analysis of how the respondent speaks in addition to what they say.
C) Recording the interview allows for active listening.
D) The transcript of a recorded interview allows for greater analysis.

Question 37

What is the typical estimate of the time required to transcribe an interview?

A) Less than one hour to transcribe one hour of speech
B) Three to four hours to transcribe one hour of speech
C) Nine to ten hours to transcribe one hour of speech
D) Five to six hours to transcribe one hour of speech

Question 38

Lofland and Lofland advise that researchers should analyze qualitative data _______________.

A) Only once all the interviews are complete
B) Throughout the process rather than waiting until all interviews are transcribed.
C) Only once all interviews are transcribed
D) Immediately after every interview

Question 39

A semi-structured interview involving interviewing several people together is called a(n) ________________.

A) Group interview
B) Semi-structured interview
C) Focus group
D) Structured interview

Question 40

The point where emerging concepts have been fully explored and no new insights are being generated is known as _______________.

A) Theoretical saturation
B) Validity
C) Rapport
D) Saturation

Question 41

What is the suggested number of members of a focus group, according to Morgan?

A) At least 15 members
B) 5-7 members
C) 6-10 members
D) Less than 6 members

Question 42

What is the most common approach for a focus group moderator to take?

A) The moderator should have several questions prepared.
B) The moderator should constantly be directing the conversation.
C) The moderator should not interrupt or direct the discussion in anyway.
D) The moderator should take a middle-of-the-road approach and intervene when needed.

Question 43

When participants in a focus group challenge one another this is a _______________ interaction.

A) Complementary
B) Symbolic
C) Aggressive
D) Argumentative

Question 44

In Sinclair and teams' research, ________ data showed that Indigenous men in Minneapolis claimed that they would exercise more with family support, while _________ data did not indicate this as an issue.

A) Survey; focus group
B) Focus group. Survey
C) Focus group; participant observation
D) One-on-one interview; focus group

Question 45

Bloor and team estimates that it can take up to ____ hours to transcribe one focus group.

A) 20
B) 8
C) 5
D) 3

Question 46

Focus groups are a better choice than one-on-one interviews when ____________

A) There is a concern about interviewer bias
B) The researcher is looking for an in-depth perspective
C) There is likely to be disagreement
D) The researcher wants to explore intimate details of experiences

Question 47

One-on-one interviews are a better choice than focus groups when ___________________.

A) Disagreement is unlikely.
B) The researcher wants to gather information quickly
C) There is no concern about interviewer effects
D) Researchers want to explore controversial topics

Question 48

Which of the following is not an advantage of online interviewing?

A) No travel is required.
B) Interviewees can feel more comfortable as they choose the setting.
C) It is not necessary to transcribe the interviews.
D) Interviews are easy to record.

Question 49

Which of the following is not a challenge involved in online interviewing?

A) Body language can be difficult to read.
B) It can be difficult to look at the person correctly due to the camera.
C) Technical glitches can interrupt the interview process.
D) Difficulty recording the interview

Question 50

Mann and Stewart recommend __________ people are the appropriate number for an online focus group.

A) 6 to 8 people
B) 4 to 6
C) Less and 5
D) At least 10

Question 51

Qualitative interviews use the same design as structured interviews.

Question 52

When conducting qualitative interviews, it is possible that respondents may not get the exact same questions.

Question 53

Qualitative projects are not designed to test pre-determined hypotheses or theories, but to gain deeper insight into people's experiences and perspectives.

Question 54

May and Chaplin (2007) relied solely on semi-structure interviews to understand how Black men felt about being denied access to nightclubs.

Question 55

Semi-structured interviews are the most similar to a real conversation.

Question 56

If there will be multiple researchers conducting interviews in a study, it is best to use an unstructured interview approach.

Question 57

Blee (1998) used an unstructured life history approach in part to investigate the processes and events that the respondents found to be important and central in their lives.

Question 58

Life histories and oral histories are the same thing.

Question 59

Diachronic reports involve dividing topics into significant factors and then moving in logical sequence to see how the factors relate to each other.

Question 60

Unlike a questionnaire, question order is not that important when writing an interview guide.

Question 61

While it is important to build rapport with respondents, it is not appropriate to share personal details with the person being interviewed.

Question 62

It is possible for an interviewee to have heightened power compared to the interviewer.

Question 63

Mayorga-Gallo and Hordge-Freeman (2017) consider power in an intersectional way, rather than a binary perspective, since power depends on the context of the situation.

Question 64

In order for an interview to be effective, the researcher needs to listen carefully and pay attention to body language.

Question 65

Kyale suggests that there are three main types of interview questions.

Question 66

The example of the popsicle story from Comfort et al.'s study demonstrates the importance of using silence effectively in an interview.

Question 67

It is a good idea to take notes directly after an interview about how it went and providing any information that will be helpful when you're analysing the data later.

Question 68

It is possible for there to be too much rapport in an interview.

Question 69

Lofland and Lofland advise researchers to start analysing data once all interviews have been completed and transcribed.

Question 70

It takes about five to six hours of typing to transcribe one hour of speech.

Question 71

The moderator of the focus group should always be the primary researcher.

Question 72

It is impossible to determine when you've conducted a sufficient number of focus groups.

Question 73

A horizontal interaction in a focus group has to do with communication between and among participants, according to Madriz.

Question 74

If a researcher wants to explore controversial or sensitive topics, a focus group is the best approach.

Question 75

Mann and Stewart recommend that online focus groups can accommodate larger groups because of the online formate.

Question 76

What are the advantages of qualitative research methods? What kind of information can be gained from this approach?

Question 77

What is the difference between a semi-structured and unstructured interview approach? What factors impact whether a researcher chooses an unstructured versus semi-structured interview approach?

Question 78

Compare and contrast life history and oral history results. Provide an example of each from the chapter.

Question 79

Design a life history and/or an oral history research project. Who would you want to interview? What questions would you want to ask?

Question 80

What are the key steps to keep in mind when writing an interview schedule? Why is flexibility important in this process?