Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies [Paperback]

Robert S. Weiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0684823128 | ISBN-13: 978-0684823126 | Edition: Original

Learning From Strangers is the definitive work on qualitative research interviewing. It draws on Robert Weiss's thirty years of experience in interviewing and teaching others how to do it. The most effective interviews, says Weiss, rely on creating cooperation -- an open and trusting alliance between interviewer and respondent, dedicated to specific and honest accounts of both internal and external events. Against the eclectic background of his work in national sample surveys, studies based on semi-structured interviewing, and participant observation, Weiss walks the reader through the method of qualitative interview studies: sample selection, development of an interview guide, the conduct of the interview, analysis, and preparation of the data. Weiss gives examples of successful and less successful interviews and offers specific techniques and guidelines for the practitioner.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Arlene Kaplan Daniels Northwestern University I have nothing but unqualified praise for this work. The book will be a boon to instructors of qualitative methods and to workers in the field. It tells you what you really must know to do various qualitative interviews, why you need to do it and how to do it.

Lisa R. Peathie Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Studies, M.I.T This is a wonderful book. Robert Weiss brings the reader into the interviewing process by showing how to recognize what works and what does not in some real interviews, and by musing as he goes along on the uses, the risks, and the opportunities of interview-based research. The result is a how-to-do-it book that also constitutes a fascinating read.

About the Author

Dr. Robert S. Weiss is Director of the Work and Family Research Unit and Research Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is the author of several books including Staying the Course (The Free Press, 1990).

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; Original edition (November 10, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684823128
• ISBN-13: 978-0684823126
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ABC's for Beginners & Useful Reminders for Pros, August 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studuies (Hardcover)

Probably the most valuable work I will read on the practical problems of designing and executing a qualitative interview study. It is usable as an outline and checklist for designing any study of this type. Weiss covers all the bases with a wealth of pertinent examples from his experience. He has managed to take a dry subject and create a readable, interesting piece.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best introduction to qualitative interviewing, January 19, 2002

By 

Joseph A. Maxwell (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies (Paperback)

Learning From Strangers is the best introduction to how to do qualitative interviewing that I know of, and it's one of two books that I assign in my course on qualitative research methods (the other is Corrine Glesne's Becoming Qualitative Researchers). It is very readable, but also deeply insightful and informed by Weiss's many years of interviewing. The most valuable part of the book, and one thing that sets it apart from most other books on qualitative interviewing, is that it includes lengthy excerpts from actual interview transcripts, with Weiss's detailed commentary on what worked well and what didn't. The book also has excellent advice on developing interview questions, selecting interviewees, analyzing interview data, and writing the final report.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable "how to interview" guide for researchers, July 13, 2006

By 

Kathleen Kimpel "education researcher" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies (Paperback)

""Learning From Strangers" is a book that will greatly augment any coursework in anthropology, sociology, or education research methods. I rank it right up there with classic works like Powdermaker's "Stranger and Friend", Agar's "The Professional Stranger" and Van Maanen's ""Tales of the Field". This volume is well worth reading for those new to qualitative research methods, as well as for those who might question how well they're doing with interviewing as a data collection method. The author uses a conversational approach as he generously shares and reflects upon his many years of interview experience. This sharing isn't self-serving, but sensitively, (and importantly) covers all situations: the tricky, the awkward, and the difficult. The chapter on "Issues in Interviewing" resonated with me. For example, as I was alone in the field, doing the qualitative research for my dissertation in South Africa, I was astonished at how tiring I found my interviewing to be. I had been discussing the personal histories of rural educators who had themselves been educated under apartheid, and was completely exhausted by the process. Weiss put my mind to rest when he discusses the levels of emotion that are shared between interviewer and respondent ( at page 137). He also debunks some persistent research myths such as the need for a fixed set of questions (the process is iterative), or the so-called "interviewer-respondent match" (the insider-outsider dilemma). Interviewing is a technique that people frequently assume they "can do" but this book highlights the many intricacies of what are fundamentally social interactions undertaken in pusuit of research data. The only improvement I could suggest, and this is owing mainly to its publication date of 1996, would be to include a broader elaboration of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, of which there are now many examples of user-friendly software. Of course, one must conduct the interviews first to have any data, so I recommend that you help yourself in that effort by reading this valuable book.