Bitesize highlights from the Breaking Binaries Research 'Twilight Zone' Qualitative Research Training Sessions #qualitativeresearch #researchtips #qualitativeanalysis #phdlife

1. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
Professor Katrina Pritchard
&
Dr Helen Williams
School of Management, Swansea University
The Twilight Zone
Qualitative Research
Support Sessions
Twilight Highlights
This was an in person session and we are sharing
summary slides for those who were unable to attend.
Follow our blog for details on our next session…

2. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
Part 1
• The research interview: the what, the who, the how the hell?
• Common pitfalls of interviewing
• Interview skills: overview
Part 2 (will include a lunch break)
• Interview demonstration (how to get depth)
• Becoming the ‘interviewer’
• Critical Incident Technique(s) (CIT) (a guide)
Part 3
• Interviewing exercise and observations
• Feedback and close
What To Expect

3. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
Why Research Interviews?
• One of the most popular methods of data collection in
qualitative research.
• A dialogic exchange between a researcher-interviewer and
participant(s)-interviewee.
• Interview is seen as a process of knowledge exchange;
knowledge that is revealed by the participant as a result of
“meaningful dialogue” (Dundon & Ryan, 2010, p. 564).
• Increasingly critiqued for being over-simplified, rather than
understood as a craft (e.g., Silverman, 2017).

4. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
As qualitative researchers, we must consider a number of ethical
implications when it comes to conducting interviews.
• Informed consent
• Right to refuse a question
• Recording rights
• Right to withdraw
• Right to anonymity/confidentiality etc
Further debate focuses on selection of participants, with the
question of how many participants receiving particular attention
(Saunders & Townsend, 2016).
There is a need to think through how the researcher might
engage with different interviewees, from those deemed
vulnerable to the powerful organizational executive.
Ethical Considerations
This Photo by Unknown
Author is licensed under CC
BY-SA

5. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
• Setting up your interview correctly
• Asking leading questions
• Using judgmental language or tone
• Dealing with ‘talkers’
• Dealing with silent participants
• Managing sensitive topics
• Managing informed consent
• Getting enough depth from your data
• Managing multiple modes (using elicitation tools etc.)
• Interview design does not suit your research’s epistemological commitments
Common Challenges

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Key Interview Skills: An Overview
oDesigning interview questions and structure
oSetting up your interview
oCoaching as opposed to leading your participant
oUsing probes
oActive vs. passive listening
oNavigating emotions
oEnding your interview

7. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
Every participant you interview will be different, this requires some adaptability
in your approach
Neurodiverse participants may require questions to be asked differently (for
example, you may need to be more direct, rather than open and non-specific)
Needs may not be apparent until you are in the interview (have some common
statements up your sleeve to help you here)
Sending materials in advance?
Know when to stop (this should always be participant led).
Adapting to Participant’s Needs

8. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
Researcher safety
Preparing your interview ‘kit
bag’
Logistics (what, when, where
etc.)
Participant communication
(before, during, after)
Before Your Interview…
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

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• Depends on your research question
• Generally, start with broad open questions
• Use your probes to help prompt the participant
• Think about the ‘type’ of participant you are interviewing
• You may have to adapt your questions
• 5 – 7 overarching, open questions (this is not about just
asking your research question!)
Designing your interview questions

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Important to allow your participant space to reflect and
decompress
Make notes about what is said during this time
Repeat setting up steps to reinforce:
• Next steps (what’s going to happen with their data)
• Informed consent
• How to contact you or your research team
The Importance the Debrief

11. © 2023 Breaking Binaries Research. All rights reserved.
@ProfKPritchard
@HelenCWilliams
@BreakBinaries
helen.c.williams@swansea.ac.uk
k.l.pritchard@swansea.ac.uk