Interviewing As Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: establishing access, phenomenological interviewing, crafting profiles, Qualitative Research, United States, The Path (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a thoughtful and well written introduction to the topic. I assign it in multiple undergraduate and graduate classes I teach. The chapter on interview technique is particularly helpful, giving students useful advice on topics like how to avoid asking leading questions. Highly recommended." - Amy Bruckman, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology Praise for Previous Editions! "A comprehensive perspective of the nature of qualitative inquiry and the art of interviewing..." - Theory and Research in Social Education "A good starting point for training new researchers." - The Journal of Higher Education" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

This volume examines reorganized and expanded discussion of sharing, analyzing and interviewing data. Other topics include: discussion on the informed consent process; profiles demonstrating the power of interviewing as a research method; merging of basic principles of qualitative research and the realities of conducting research in the field; and updated references and suggestions for additional reading on qualitative research and interviewing. The new edition of this volume provides guidance for new and experienced interviewers to help them develop, shape and reflect on interviewing as a qualitative research process. It offers examples of interviewing techniques as well as a discussion of the complexities of interviewing and its connections with the broader issues of qualitative research.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Teachers College Press; 2 Sub edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080773697X
• ISBN-13: 978-0807736975
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #684,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, Informative, Organized, June 14, 2002

By	A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What is your... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Qualititative research is far more than asking a prescribed list of questions. However, the interview is key and core to learning what the researcher wants to know.

"Interviewing as Qualitative Research" by Irving Seidman is a concise but informative book explaining the whole process clearly. In fact, the strength of the book is not so much the content -- other books say the same things -- but the presentation. Seidman planned the book well, and subjected it to careful editing and organization.

Despite its short length, it is well-outlined, with a complete contents area, index, and eight-page reference section.

Chapters include (each has several subsections listed below):
* Why Interview?
* A Structure For In-Depth Phenomonologicsl Interviewing
* Proposing Research: From Mind To Paper To Action
* Establishing Access To, Making Contact With, And Selecting Participants
* Affirming Informed Consent
* Technique Isn't Everything, But It Is A Lot
* Interviewing As A Relationship
* Analyzing, Interpreting, And Sharing Interview Material

I fully recommend "Interviewing as Qualitative Research" by Irving Seidman.

Anthony Trendl

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for starting out with qualitative research., March 18, 1999

By A Customer

Seidman's book is clear, thorough, and thoughtful. I thought it provided a great introduction to doing in-depth interviews and turning those interviews into useful qualitative data.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid Book, July 28, 2005

By	btnagle (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This book does a very nice job of outlining the interview process as well as all of the issues around informed consent. The book also is excellent with the whole issue of developing a profile for the person being interviewed. This was probably one of the finer elements of Seidman's effort.

I was disappointed with one thing. The reason I bought the book was that I was interested in reading more ideas on how to coalesce a number of interviews into a coherent whole. This was a weak area of the "Interviewing as Qualitative Research..." It was certainly addressed but Seidman's points related to this topic were not helpful. The book would, however, probably be helpful to someone that is just beginning to use interviews.

Overall, it is a good book. It was just weak in the main area where I was hoping to pick up some new ways to approach the data.