Blackwell Reference Online

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At first sight, a scientific →  interview resembles a common conversation, a qualitative interview even more so than a standardized one. Unlike a day-to-day conversation, however, such an interview takes place in an artificial situation, follows specific rules, and is conducted to reach a predefined goal. An open-ended interview can be conducted for two different reasons. It may be explorative , which means that it is used to gather a first understanding of a topic, a deeper insight into the relevant dimensions in question, and an idea of the terms used in describing these dimensions. An explorative interview is only the first in a series of other, usually standardized, research steps. A qualitative interview, on the other hand, is a method of inquiry in its own right. It is theoretically rooted in symbolic interactionism and Max Weber's verstehender Soziologie (→  Symbolic Interaction ; Verstehen vs Erklären ). The great value of open-ended interviews lies in the fact that respondents are allowed to tell it “their way” with a minimum of direction, thus offering their understanding of the topic in question in the context of and from their social position. In an interview both participants actively construct some version of the world. Hermanns (2005) describes the interview as a stand-up “interpersonal drama” consisting of three dilemmas: first, the dilemma of vagueness: ... log in or subscribe to read full text