The 'active interview' considers interviewers and interviewees as equal partners in constructing meaning around an interview. In this guide, the authors outline the differences between active interviews and traditional interviews and give novice researchers clear guidelines on conducting a successful interview.

"The book provides an academic basis for discussion and development of active interviewing methods. . . . The ideas raised. . . will be interesting and valuable to those involved in developing new methodologies in qualitative research and interviewing." --Helen Masey in Social Research Association News The interpretive turn in social science has taken the interview and turned it upside down. Once thought to be the pipeline through which information was transmitted from a passive subject to an omniscient researcher, the new "active interview" considers the interviewer and interviewee as equal partners in constructing meaning around an interview event. This changes everything - from the way of conceiving a sample to the ways in which the interview may be conducted and the results analyzed. In this brief volume, James A. Holstein and Jaber F. Gubrium outline the differences between the active interview and the traditional interview and give novice researchers clear guidance on conducting an interview that is the rich product of both parties. Students and professionals who use qualitative methods in the fields of sociology, anthropology, communication, psychology, education, social work, gerontology, and management will find The Active Interview to be a helpful and cogent guidebook.

Aimed at professionals in market research and journalism as well as researchers, academics and students, this handbook is both an encyclopedia providing discussions of methodological issues and a story of a particular tale of interviewing.

The First Edition of InterViews has provided students and professionals in a wide variety of disciplines with the “whys” and “hows” of research interviewing, preparing students for learning interviewing by doing interviews and by studying examples of best practice. The thoroughly revised Second Edition retains its original seven-stage structure, continuing to focus on the practical, epistemological, and ethical issues involved with interviewing. Authors Steinar Kvale and Svend Brinkmann also include coverage of newer developments in qualitative interviewing, discussion of interviewing as a craft, and a new chapter on linguistic modes of interview analysis. Practical and conceptual assignments, as well as new “tool boxes,” provide students with the means to dig deeper into the material presented and achieve a more meaningful level of understanding. New to This Edition · Includes new developments in qualitative interviewing: New materials cover narrative, discursive, and conversational analyses. · Presents interviewing as a social practice: Knowledge produced by interviewing is discussed as linguistic, conversational, narrative, relational, situated, and pragmatic. · Addresses a variety of interviews forms: In addition to harmonious, empathetic interviews, the authors also cover confrontational interviews. Intended Audience This text is ideal for both novice and experienced interview researchers as well as graduate students taking courses in qualitative and research methods in the social sciences and health sciences, particularly departments of Education, Nursing, Sociology, Psychology, and Communication. Praise for the previous edition: “I think this is one of the most in-depth treatments of the interview process that I have seen. The frank and realistic approach that the authors take to this topic is rather unique and will be very reassuring to researchers who are undertaking an interview study for the first time.” —Lisa M. Diamond, University of Utah

The second edition of this landmark volume emphasizes the dynamic, interactional, and reflexive dimensions of the research interview. Contributors highlight the myriad dimensions of complexity that are emerging as researchers increasingly frame the interview as a communicative opportunity as much as a data-gathering format. The book begins with an overview of the history and conceptual transformations of the interview, which is followed by chapters that discuss the main components of interview practice. Taken together, the contributions to the handbook encourage readers to simultaneously learn the frameworks and technologies of interviewing and reflect on the epistemological foundations of the interview craft. The handbook has been updated to address recent developments, especially in qualitative interviewing. Twenty-six chapters are completely new; the remaining twelve chapters have been substantially revised to give readers access to the state of the art of interview research. Three entirely new sections include "Logistics of Interviewing," "Self and Other in the Interview," and "Ethics of the Interview."

Describing how chronic illness affects one's self-image, friends, and family, this book shares the experiences of people with serious chronic illnesses, and shows how they find the strength to carry on.

This is a concise introduction to the richness and scope of interviewing in social science research, teaching the craft of interview research with practical, hands-on guidance. Incorporating discussion of the wide variety of methods in interview-based research and the different approaches to reading the data, this book will help you to navigate the broad field of qualitative research with confidence and get out there and start collecting your data.

"Speaking of Sadness, based on fifty in-depth interviews, provides first-hand accounts of the depression experience while discovering clear regularities in the ways that personal identities are shaped over the course of an "illness career." The new edition of the book is highlighted by a thoroughly new and extensive introduction"--

This book provides the first English language account of the interview method known as the PCI. Offering a way of collecting knowledge by means of involving people actively in the research process, the interviewer takes the role of a well-informed traveller. With careful preparation and planning, the interviewer sets out with priorities and expectations, but the story the interviewer tells about his journey depends on the people encountered along the road. Novice and experienced interview researchers across the social, educational and health sciences will find this an invaluable guide to conducting interviews. Andreas Witzel is senior researcher (retired) at the University of Bremen and former director of the Bremen Archive for Life Course Research. Herwig Reiter is senior researcher in the Department of Social Monitoring and Methodology of the German Youth Institute in Munich.