Research Methods and Applications for Student Affairs

Chapter EightInterviewing Individuals and Groups

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Understand the purpose and role of interview methods.
• Differentiate between the major types of interview techniques.
• Read interview data in journal articles and reports.
• Evaluate interview methods based on how data are collected, analyzed, and reported.
• Apply interpretations of interview methods to student affairs practice.

Interviewing involves identifying key informants, determining questions to ask, recording responses, and (often) seeking others who can confirm, contradict, or otherwise provide additional perspectives on a topic. Interviews typically are highly interactive research methods, requiring the researcher ...