Applying a Quality Framework to the In-depth Intrerview Method

Applying a Quality Framework to the In-depth Interview Method ● 2016
Margaret R. Roller, MA
rmr@rollerresearch.com
www.rollerresearch.com
www.researchdesignreview.com
Applying a Quality Framework to
the In-depth Interview Method

Adapted from: Applied Qualitative Research Design: A Total Quality Framework Approach (Roller & Lavrakas, 2015) ©Margaret R. Roller
 3 Types
 Structured
 Semi-structured
 Unstructured
 9 Basic Steps
 Define the research question(s)
 Identify the appropriate interviewees
 Select the appropriate mode(s)
 Select an appropriate location for face-to-face IDIs
 Determine how data will be captured/recorded
 Develop interview guide
 Conduct pilot interviews
 Obtain consent from interviewees
 Use good interviewing techniques/skills
1
In-depth Interviews
Brief Overview

 5 Key Interviewer Skills
 Build rapport
 Actively listen
 Stay focused on objectives
 Maintain sensitivity to verbal & nonverbal cues
 Obtain accurate & complete interview records
 Modes
 Face-to-face
 Telephone
 Email
 Mobile
2
In-depth Interviews
Brief Overview (continued)

 Strengths
 Interviewer-interviewee relationship.
 Flexibility of the interview format.
 Granularity in the IDI data.
 Limitations
 Interviewer-interviewee relationship.
• Interviewer bias
 “Power dynamics” & “a one-way dialogue” (Kvale,
2006)
3
In-depth Interviews
Brief Overview (continued)

Adapted from: Applied Qualitative Research Design: A
Total Quality Framework Approach (Roller & Lavrakas, 2015)

5
Total Quality Framework

 Number of interviews
 Evaluate during the initial design phase & in the field.
 In the design phase, consider:
• Breadth & depth of the research topic/issue.
• Heterogeneity or homogeneity of the target population.
• Level of analysis & interpretation to meet objectives.
• Practical matters, e.g., time, human & financial resources.
 When in the field
• “Saturation” is not sufficient.
• Need to ask 10 questions to evaluate IDI completions.
In-depth Interviews
6
Applying the TQF: CREDIBILITY- Scope

Adapted from: Applied Qualitative Research Design: A Total Quality Framework Approach (Roller & Lavrakas, 2015) ©Margaret R. Roller 7
In-depth Interviews

Applying the TQF: CREDIBILITY- Scope (continued)
Gaining Cooperation
 Explaining the purpose of the study.
 Nonmaterial incentive, e.g., make things “better.”
 Material incentive, e.g., cash, charitable contribution.
 Effect of identifying the sponsor.
 Nature of advance communication, e.g., personalized.
 Tailoring the recruit to each individual rather than a
one-size-fits-all approach.
 Flexibility of location (for face-to-face mode).
 Use of gatekeepers for hard-to-reach segments.
8
In-depth Interviews

 Interview content
 Interviewer bias
 Interviewer inconsistency
 Participant effects
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In-depth Interviews
Applying the TQF: CREDIBILITY- Data Gathering

 Interview Content
 4 basic steps to the interview guide
• Build on past work on the topic.
• Speak with colleagues & experts in the topic area.
• Show a draft of the guide to clients for review & feedback.
• Take a break from the guide & review again with a “fresh
mind.”
 Broad to narrow topic areas (“funnel” approach).
 Pilot-test to ensure all constructs/objectives are covered.
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In-depth Interviews
Applying the TQF: CREDIBILITY- Data Gathering (continued)

 Interviewer Bias
 Pretesting also helps identify the interviewer’s
predispositions & fine-tune probing (follow-up)
questions/techniques.
 Review of IDI recordings by another researcher to
identify possible ways the interviewer biased responses.
 A reflexive journal aids in evaluating the interviewer’s
impact on outcomes.
11
In-depth Interviews

In-depth Interviews

 Interviewer Inconsistency
 Question wording should not vary for definitions,
concept statements, etc.
 Consistently ask follow-up questions to clarify similar
areas of content.
 Scale the IDI guide for other modes to maintain
consistency in what & how topic areas are covered.
• e.g., Switching from face-to-face to telephone.
13
In-depth Interviews

In-depth Interviews
What if a bank offered what I will call a “dedicated
transition team”? This team would be available to you –
to your company – to discuss the services that are
offered, go over the switching process and the timeline,
as well as provide contact information for everyone at the
bank who is going to be involved in this process. This
team might also be involved in setting up your online bill
pay if you do that, of notifying suppliers and customers
about the changes on your account, ordering new checks
for you, things of that nature.
Interviewer Inconsistency:
Example of concept statement for switching banks:

 Participant Effects
 Building rapport & trust – via appearance, open &
personalized communication, ensuring confidentiality –
to encourage “I don’t know” or “I am not comfortable
telling you.”
• Identify & respond to cues that participant is hesitating or
uncomfortable, esp., telephone, online, email modes.
• Add visual (e.g., via Skype) to telephone & online modes.
 Use of indirect questions – Asking cancer patients about
treatment via “How are things going at home with the
family?”
 Limiting the number of questions in the email mode so
not to confuse or frustrate the participant.
15
In-depth Interviews

 Credibility – Scope
 Number of interviews should be evaluated during design &
at the field stage via 10 questions about completions.
 Gaining cooperation is impacted by various factors, e.g.,
incentives, advance communication, & gatekeepers.
 Credibility – Data Gathering
 Content in the interview guide is organized as a “funnel.”
 Interviewer bias can be mitigated with pretesting & inter-
researcher reviews.
 Interviewer inconsistency should be addressed by
maintaining question wording for some content, e.g.,
definitions, & consistent use of follow-up questions.
 Lessen participant effects by building rapport & indirect
questioning.
16
In-depth Interviews

 Transcriptionists & potential error
 Misinterpreting the content.
 Unfamiliarity with the terminology, certain words.
 “Tidying up” or “correcting” content.
 Typos or grammatical mistakes that change the
intended meaning.
 Unavoidable error due to the absence of visual cues.
17
In-depth Interviews
Applying the TQF: ANALYZABILITY- Processing

 6 necessary qualities of a transcriptionist
 Knowledgeable about the subject category.
 Trained/experienced on the specific research topic.
 Sensitive to how people speak & will identify/insert the
correct punctuation, pauses.
 Accounts for the entire interview, including portions
that are difficult to hear.
 Understands the language & its regional variations,
slang.
 Can detect a complete thought & distinguish between
the continuation of a thought and the beginning of
another.
18
In-depth Interviews
Applying the TQF: ANALYZABILITY- Processing (continued)

 Using alternative sources of information to enrich &
verify IDI interpretations
 Reflexive journal – Did pre-conceived notions about the participants
bias the interviewer’s questioning?
 Peer debriefing – Asking another researcher to provide their
interpretations based on a review of the field notes, transcripts, &
recordings.
 Triangulation – [Data] How do IDIs with nurses compare to those with
hospital administrators? [Method] How are IDI outcomes the same or
different compared to a focus group study with the same type of
participants?
 Deviant or negative case analysis – Do the less-frequently
mentioned attitudes/behavior support or refute interpretations of the data?
19
In-depth Interviews
Applying the TQF: ANALYZABILITY- Verification

 A “thick” description allowing other researchers to
derive similar interpretations &/or apply the IDI
research in other contexts
 Researcher’s assumptions going into the IDI study.
 Representativeness of the sampling frame.
 Ad-hoc decisions made in the field, e.g., changing modes.
 Reflexive journal excerpts & field notes.
 Transcription process & coding procedures.
 Verification procedures.
 Must have: Interview guide & verbatims
20
In-depth Interviews
Applying the TQF: TRANSPARENCY

 Ultimate usefulness of IDI research enables users to do
something with the results.
 Usefulness is derived from:
 Representative coverage + reliable & valid data gathering
(Credibility).
 Thorough processing & verification of the data
(Analyzability).
 Full documentation of the “life” of the study, including
decision making (Transparency).
 Usefulness is assessed via follow-up reviews – Was the
research applied to mitigate the research issue? How was it
applied & was it effective?
21
In-depth Interviews
Applying the TQF: Usefulness

Discussion

 Differences across modes
 Your experiences with IDIs across modes.
• What mode do you use most often?
• What are the strengths & limitations from a TQF
perspective based on your experience?
• What are the trade-offs?
• How does this vary depending on topic or research issue?
• How does this vary by population segment?
23
Discussion – In-depth Interviews

24
Credibility Analyzability
Strengths
Face-to-face Most similar to natural conversation, facilitates
building rapport, better able to prevent
interviewer inconsistency (v. mobile, email),
share stimuli, more complete & in-depth IDI.
Can audio &/or video record, visual cues
add meaning, verification (triangulation) is
more straightforward (v. mobile, email).
Phone Scope (wide coverage, more IDIs), gaining
cooperation (convenience in scheduling,
participation), absence of visual cues that may
bias, better able to prevent interviewer
inconsistency (v. mobile, email).
Can usually audio record, verification
(triangulation) is more straightforward (v.
mobile, email).
Mobile
(using smartphone
technology)
Gaining cooperation, esp., millennials
(convenience in scheduling, participation),
multiple ways to respond.
Multiple forms of data (audio, video,
images) to analyze giving greater context &
meaning.
Email Scope (coverage), gaining cooperation
(convenience of scheduling, participation),
detailed responses.
Built-in transcripts, detailed content to
analyze.
Credibility: Number of interviews, gaining cooperation, interviewer bias (appearance, attitude), interviewer
inconsistency (follow-up questions, concepts), participant effects (rapport, indirect questions).
Analyzability: Transcriptions/transcriptionists, verification (peer debriefing, deviant case analysis).

25
Credibility Analyzability
Limitations
Face-to-face Scope (coverage, fewer IDIs), gaining
cooperation (convenience in scheduling,
participation), interviewer bias & participant
effects (physical presence may bias results).
Not all participants may agree to audio
&/or video recording.
Phone Weakened ability to establish rapport, absence
of visual cues that aid in interpretation, shorter
IDI length/less in-depth.
Not all participants may agree to audio
recording, lack of visual cues to aid in
interpretation.
Mobile
(using smartphone
technology)
Scope (coverage bias, e.g., certain demographic
segments, people with limited literacy,
smartphone savvy), weakened ability to
establish rapport, interviewer inconsistency
(limited follow-up), participant effects
(participant controls content).
Not all participants may have the
capability or know-how to capture data in
various forms, potentially biased data
(participants control what they share).
Email Scope (coverage bias, e.g., certain demographic
segments, people with limited literacy, email
access), weakened ability to establish rapport &
keep IDI on track, text is primary form of
communication.
“The impressions that participants give
through their text can negatively impact
the quality of the analysis and
interpretation of the data” (p. 67)
Credibility: Number of interviews, gaining cooperation, interviewer bias (appearance, attitude), interviewer
inconsistency (follow-up questions, concepts), participant effects (rapport, indirect questions).
Analyzability: Transcriptions/transcriptionists, verification (peer debriefing, deviant case analysis).

Roller, M. R., & Lavrakas, P. J. (2015). Applied Qualitative Research Design: A Total Quality Framework
Approach. New York: Guilford Publications.
Roller, M. R. Research Design Review www.researchdesignreview.com
Interview Guide Development: A 4-Stage “Funnel” Approach (June 28, 2015)
https://researchdesignreview.com/2015/06/28/interview-guide-development-a-4-stage-funnel-
approach/
Designing a Quality In-depth Interview Study: How Many Interviews Are Enough? (September 12, 2012)
http://researchdesignreview.com/2012/09/12/designing-a-quality-in-depth-interview-study/
Interviewer Bias & Reflexivity in Qualitative Research (November 14, 2012)
http://researchdesignreview.com/2012/11/14/interviewer-bias-reflexivity-in-qualitative-research/
West, R. (2012). Lather, rinse, repeat: Getting into the shower & other private places with mobile
qualitative. In MRMW North America Conference. Cincinnati, OH. URL: http://vimeo.com/49323073
This is an 18-minute presentation by Rebecca West concerning Civicom’s mobile market
research study for a beauty products manufacturer. This research studied the purchase and use of a
body wash product among female “enthusiasts” by way of in-store visits and actual use in the shower.
The presentation goes through the design considerations, the various ways participants communicated
with the Civicom researchers at the store (i.e., voice, image, text, and video) and in the shower (i.e.,
voice), and research findings. 26
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