Titus Utibe
Cite: Utibe T. Impacts of Interview as Research Instrument of Data Collection in Social Sciences. Journal of Digital Art & Humanities, Vol.1, Iss.1, pp. 15-24. https://doi.org/10.33847/2712-8148.1.1_2
Abstract. This paper examined the implications of using interviews as method of data collection in social sciences with reference to researcher’s experience during fieldwork. The paper is purely qualitative and documentary sources were source of data collection. The paper argued that interview as an instrument of data collection when compared to other data collection techniques like questionnaire is more powerful in eliciting narrative data that allow researchers to investigate people’s views in greater depth. The paper indicated that interview as a tool for social science data collection research helps to facilitate in obtaining direct explanation for human actions through a comprehensive speech interaction. The paper concluded that although interviewing is a powerful way of getting insights into interviewee’s perceptions, it could go hand in hand with other methods providing in-depth information about participants’ inner values and beliefs. For instance, using personal observation as a supplement to interviews would allow researchers investigate participants’ external behaviors and internal beliefs. Therefore, the paper stressed that using more than one data collection instrument (although it depends on the research questions) would help obtaining richer data and validating the research findings.
Keywords: Interview, Data Collection, Ethical Orientation, Social Research.
References
- Berg, B. L. (2007). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences, London: Pearson.
- Bryman, A. (2001). Social Research Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morison, K. (2007). Research Methods in Education. (6th ed.). London: Routledge.
- Corbetta, P. (2003). Social Research Theory, Methods and Techniques, London: SAGE Publications.
- David, M., & Sutton C.D. (2004). Social Research the Basics. London: SAGE Publications.
- Doody, O, & Noonman, M. (2013). Preparing and Conducting Interviews to Collect Data. Nurse Researcher, 20 (5), 28-32.
- Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics: Quantitative Qualitative, and Mixed Methodologies, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Gillham, B. (2000). The Research Interview, New York: Continuum.
- Gray, D. E. (2004). Doing Research in the Real World. London: SAGE Publications.
- Hamza, A. (2014). Interviewing as a Data Collection Method: A Critical Review, English Linguistics Research, 3 (1), 39-45.
- Heaton, J. (2004). Reworking Qualitative Data. London, SAGE Publications.
- Hoyle, R. H., Harris, M. J. & Judd, C. M. (2002). Research Methods in Social Relations, London: Thomson Learning, Inc.
- Kajornboon, A. B. (2004). Creating Useful Knowledge: A Case Study of Policy Development in E-learning at Chulalongkorn University Language Institute. Dissertation, University of Melbourne: Australia.
- Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- O’Leary, A. (2004). The Essential Guide to Doing Research. London: SAGE Publications.
- Olthmann, S. M. (2016). Qualitative Interviews: A Methodological Discussion of the Interviewer and Respondent Contexts, Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 17 (2), 15.
- Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Prabnat, P & Meenu, M.P. (2015). Research Methodology: Tools and Techniques, Bridge Centern.
- Schultze, U, & Avital, M. (2011). Designing Interviews to generate Rich Data for Information Systems Research. Information and Organization, 21(1), 1-16.
Published online 02.10.2020