Qualitative interviews: Design, recruitment, ethics and conducting
- Date
- October 30, 2020
- Time
- 9:00 AM EDT - 12:30 PM EDT
- Location
- Online via Zoom
About the workshop:
Qualitative interviews are an important research method that draws on a fundamental mode of human interaction. Participants describe their experiences and perspectives in their own terms, and a two-way ‘performance’ ensues involving verbal and non-verbal codes. To master the art of interviewing, the researcher needs to understand how inter-subjective knowledge is produced.
In this workshop you will learn:
- How to interpret the lived experiences and subjective truth expressed by the participant
- What does the interview setting convey in terms of position and power?
- How to optimize recruitment of participants
- What are the ethical considerations for conducting interviews?
- How to prepare and carry out a successful interview
How this workshop will be delivered:
The workshop will provide step-by-step techniques and include discussion on their ethical and methodological underpinnings. Teamwork and hands-on exercises provide an opportunity for practice. Detailed instructions for workshop exercises will be provided to participants beforehand.
9 AM – 9:30 AM Introduction and Welcome
- What is an interview and why interview?
- The politics of knowledge production
- Tips for designing a semi-structured interview guide
9:30 AM – 10 AM Exercise 1: Positionality
- Identifying positionality and the ethical considerations for sample case studies. Participants will be divided into groups and a case study will be given to each group to figure out the key aspects of positionality and relevant power relations.
10 AM – 10:10 AM Discussion: Reflection on the exercise.
10:10 AM - 10:15 AM Break
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM Lecture
- Recruitment strategies: selection of research participants
- Different modes of interviews: face-to face, online, phone
- Consent, and ethical conduct of research
10:45 AM – 11 AM Break
11 AM – 11:30 AM Interview in Practice
- The checklist
- The art of interviewing
- Reflection on interviews
11:30 AM – 12 PM Exercise 2: Practice interview and reflection
- Participants will be divided into groups. One person in each group will be assigned the role of an interviewer and another person the role of an interviewee to conduct a mock interview while other group members will observe the process. After the interview, the group members will reflect on the interview by writing five key learning experiences. A few examples of topics include:
Access to settlement services
Challenges as an international student in Canada
Barriers to get a job as a migrant
Experiences at the first job
Access to affordable housing in Toronto
12 PM – 12:15 PM Discussion: Reflection on the exercise
12:15 PM – 12:30 PM Wrap-up
- Recap of the workshop
- Information on additional resources
About the workshop leader:
Marshia Akbar is Senior Research Associate, CERC Migration, Ryerson University. Marshia’s research addresses how social inequalities and settlement policies shape the labour market integration of migrants in Canada. She has a PhD from York University. Marshia has taught Geography, Sociology and Methods courses at York University and Ryerson University.
Workshop fee:
Regular price $100 (discounted fee for students $20)
Due to these uncertain times, we are offering these workshops free of charge.