Planning, Piloting and Pre-Testing in Interview Studies

In this case study, the author illustrates why it is important to test your methods also when you plan a study with interviews or narratives. She outlines the process of doing a pilot study and gives examples of what occurred and which lessons she learned.

Mikuska, E. (2017). The importance of piloting or pre-testing semi-structured interviews and narratives. In SAGE Research Methods Cases.

Question 1: What are the main reasons why you should do pre-test interviews when you plan a study?

Question 2: What are advantages and problems of knowing the participants of your study in advance?

An Elicitation Study: Eliciting Antisocial Beliefs Using Vignettes and Third-Person Discussions

In this case study the use of tools in doing interviews is presented and in general the idea of elicitation in interviewing.

Skrzypiec, G. (2015). An elicitation study: Eliciting antisocial beliefs using vignettes and third-person discussions. In SAGE Research Methods Cases.

Question 1: Is the design of this study appropriate for studying the research question and the target group?

Question 2: Is the vignette material helpful for collecting the interview data about this subject and with this target group?

Arranging and Conducting Elite Interviews: Practical Considerations

In this case study, the author describes in detail how he approached elite participants for his study in the context of political sciences. His descriptions might be helpful beyond both contexts (elites and politics).

Huggins, C. (2014). Arranging and conducting elite interviews: Practical considerations. In SAGE Research Methods Cases.

Question 1: What are differences in the procedures described here when interviewing is done in other fields?

Question 2: What does the author show about how he prepared the actual interview (guides, questions and so on)?