Qualitative Interviews

Qualitative interviews can be thought of as “conversations with a purpose,” (Kahn and Cannell, 1957). These conversations can take place one-on-one between the researcher and study participant, known as an in-depth interview, or with a small group of study participants, known as a focus group.

In-depth Interviews

An in-depth interview is a meeting with an individual to discuss a particular topic. In-depth interviews are, perhaps, the most commonly known and widely employed of the qualitative data collection methods. While in-depth interviews can be conducted on any topic, it is an especially appropriate method for discussions about sensitive and/or complex issues, such as disease-related stigma or sexual preferences and practices. In-depth interviews can be open-ended, semi-structured, or unstructured. However it is designed, the purpose is to elicit rich information from the perspective of the interviewee.

Focus Groups

A focus group is an interview with a group of people where the goal is “to describe and understand perceptions, interpretation, and beliefs of a select population to gain understanding of a particular issue from the perspective of the group,” (Liamputtong 65). Researchers engage in focus group research when it is estimated that a group discussion on the topic of interest would richly contribute to the study and if there would be a benefit from group interaction. Group interaction is the unique feature of this method. The group dynamics of a focus group can encourage participant thought and engagement. Alternatively, “group think”—conformity to the responses of other participants in the focus group even if one does not agree—can stymie the process and discourage participants from sharing their true opinions and feelings.

Whether the researcher is conducting an in-depth interview or a focus group the purpose of both methods is to gather rich, detailed information from the study participants in order to understand his/her/their perspective on the particular issue or topic at hand. In interviews, the researcher should consider the participant to be the expert of his/her own experience, and as such their views are valuable and useful.