RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

PLANNING INTERVIEW-BASED RESEARCH PROCEDURES 365
The onus is on the interviewer to try to overcome
these factors, while recognizing, of course, that
they may be legitimate, in which case no further
attempt can be made to conduct the interview.
It is important for the interviewer to render the
interview as a positive, pleasant and beneficial
experience, and to convince participants of their
own worth and the importance of the topic. If there
is a significant difference between the interviewer
and the respondent (e.g. gender, age, ethnicity,
race, social status, class), then it might be advisable
to have another interviewer try to conduct the
interview.
So far the assumption has been that there is only
one interviewer present at the interview. There is
an argument for having more than one interviewer
present, not only so that one can transcribe or
observe features that might be overlooked by the
other interviewer while the other is engaging the
respondent (and these roles have to be signaled
clearly to the respondent at the interview), but
also to share the interviewing. Joint interviews
can provide two versions of the interview – a crosscheck
– and one can complement the other with
additional points, leading to a more complete and
reliable record. It also enables one interviewer
to observe non-verbal features such as the power
and status differentials and social dynamics, and,
if there is more than one respondent present
at the interview, the relationships between the
respondents, e.g. how they support, influence,
complement, agree and disagree with each other
or, indeed, contradict each other, the power plays
at work, and so on.
On the other hand, having more than one
interviewer present is not without its difficulties.
For example, the roles of the two interviewers
may be unclear to the respondents (and it is
the job of the interviewers to make this clear),
or it may be intimidating to have more than
one interviewer present. Researchers will need to
weigh carefully the strengths and weaknesses of
having more than one interviewer present, and
what their roles will be.
Box 16.5 provides a list of guidelines for conduct
during the interview.
Interviewers have to be sensitive to their own
effect on the interview. For example (Cooper
and Schindler 2001: 307), they may fail to secure
full cooperation or keep to procedures, they may
establish an inappropriate environment (physical,
cognitive, interpersonal), they may be exerting
undue influence or pressure on the respondent, or
they may be selective in recording the data; we
consider the issue of reliability in Chapter 6.
It is important for the interviewer to explain
to the respondent the purpose, scope, nature and
conduct of the interview, the use to be made of the
data, ethical issues, the likely duration of the interview,
i.e. to explain fully the ‘rules of the game’
so that the interviewee is left in no doubt as to
what will happen during and after the interview.
It is important for the interviewer to introduce
herself/himself properly and fully to the respondent
(maybe even providing identification). The
interviewer has to set the scene appropriately, for
example, to say that there are no right and wrong
answers, that some of the topics may be deep but
that they are not designed to be a test, to invite
questions and interruptions, and to clear permission
for recording. During the interview it is important,
also, for the interviewee to speak more than
the interviewer, for the interviewer to listen attentively
and to be seen by the respondent to be listening
attentively, and for the interviewer to be seen
to be enjoying, or be at ease with, the interview.
Transcribing
This is a crucial step in interviewing, for there
is the potential for massive data loss, distortion
and the reduction of complexity. It has been
suggested throughout that the interview is a
social encounter, not merely a data collection
exercise; the problem with much transcription is
that it becomes solely a record of data rather
than a record of a social encounter. Indeed
this problem might have begun at the data
collection stage, for example, and audiotape
is selective, it filters out important contextual
factors, neglecting the visual and non-verbal
aspects of the interview (Mishler 1986). Indeed,
it is frequently the non-verbal communication
that gives more information than the verbal
Chapter 16