Interview as a means of data generation, 3 cr

Interviewing is one of the classic means of data collection. Recently, it is often framed more in terms of an interactional encounter instead of simple data gathering or collection. Consequently, the emphasis is moving from questioning towards listening and encouraging. This course consists of four days of contact teaching, lectures from researchers with extensive expertise of various forms of interviews as well as workshops, in which the students have the chance to introduce their own research projects. The course covers key elements pertinent to data generation through interviewing as well as expert lectures on one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and interviews in narrative and ethnographic research.

The workshops, based on student presentations on their ongoing doctoral thesis, provide a joint discussion platform to develop key questions, open up questions on various steps of the interview process, and to raise special questions linked with different data generation traditions. The discussions provide students the opportunity to share joint problems, and to receive feedback and new ideas from fellow students and lecturers on their research designs and analytic procedure.

Before the course, enrolled students are expected to write a one page description of their own doctoral research, introducing research topics and questions, data utilized, and possible analytic methods in use. The pre-assignment should also include each participant’s prior ideas and potential concerns regarding generating interview data. The students will reconsider these ideas and concerns in their reflection papers that are prepared after the contact teaching period. Detailed instructions will be made available to enrolled students through Moodle.