Interviewing for Qualitative Inquiry

Book excerpt: Engagingly written, this book builds the reader's skills for conducting in-depth interviews designed to address a particular research question. With an emphasis on the dynamics of the research relationship, Ruthellen Josselson artfully demonstrates the steps of a successful interview. Each step is illustrated with excerpts from interviews on diverse topics. The book describes how to structure interviews effectively, develop questions that elicit meaningful narratives, cultivate skills for empathic listening and responding, avoid common pitfalls, and deal with problems that develop in an interview. Pedagogical Features *Practice exercises adapted from Josselson's popular workshops. *Annotated examples of "good" and "bad" interviews. *A chapter on interviewing dos and don'ts. *Appendices with interview aids, sample follow-up questions, and a sample consent form.