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Chapter 3 Research Framework
of the participant, not the researcher. This is especially important when an older
adult is being interviewed (Morse and Field, 1996). According to Cormack (2000),
there are three main types of data typically generated from an interview – people’s
experiences and accounts of events, their opinions, attitudes and perceptions about
phenomena, and their biographical and demographic data.
Yin (2009) recognised some potential weaknesses inherent in interviewing as a data
collection method and stated that poorly articulated questions may lead to bias.
Participants may also give biased responses - there may be inaccuracies due to poor
recall, and furthermore the interviewee may give answers they think the researcher
wants to hear. However, according to Yin (2009), interviews are the backbone of
data for case study research and when designed properly and piloted then they have
the potential to be a rich source of data. Gadamer (1976) referred to the importance
of asking questions and establishing a dialogue with participants as being vital when
searching for understanding. Gadamer (1976) stressed that communication is crucial
if meanings are to emerge. By questioning we get the essence of the “story”.
Gadamer (1976) stated that questioning involves seeking, asking or making enquiries
to obtain information and knowledge. When a poor conversationalist is encountered
the researcher must try to keep them engaged and interested, and remember that they
are not merely gathering data but are aiming to capture the qualities of the people
and their lives (Williams, 2007). Interviews are time consuming (Polit, Beck and
Hungler, 2001). They require a researcher to have sufficient interviewing skills,
which may be a potential problem if those skills are lacking (Polit, Beck and
Hungler, 2001). Furthermore, they rely on the participant to provide accurate
information (Yin, 2009). This may be overcome by combining this approach with
observations so that the researcher can compare actual activity with reported activity.
3.8.2 Observations
Gold (1958) was one of the first researchers to discuss observational methods for
social science research. Gold (1958: 218) stated that “every field work role is at once
a social interaction device for securing information for scientific purposes and a set
of behaviours in which an observer’s self is involved”. Fundamentally, observations
may be categorised as participant or non-participant (Yin, 2009). Gold (1958)
explained that there are several roles within participant or non-participant