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Abstract
Interviewing is one of the most common data collection tools in qualitative research. It is widely discussed in research methods classes and literature and considered as an invaluable tool for gathering facts and feelings. In this paper, I reflect systematically on the first 270 interviews conducted for a large-scale investigation into the English language learning history of Hong Kong university students. I discuss how existing literature served as a guide to interviewing but once in the field, I reflect on how I adapted and improvised to improve my interviewing skills. I also analyze and discuss the strategies I employed to encourage undergraduates in Hong Kong universities to reveal aspects of their English language learning experiences and the methods that I used to limit personal influence. I benefitted from recording my progress and reflecting on the interview process internally and with peers and supervisors. I hope my autoethnographic-like style will give fellow researchers the freedom to reflectively explore themselves and their interviewing techniques.
Keywords
Interviewing, Autoethnographic, Reflection
Acknowledgements
The researcher appreciates the input of Amanda Baker and Paul Stapleton and the editors of The Qualitative Report.
Publication Date
11-18-2020
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
DOI
10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4437
Recommended APA Citation
Patkin, J. G. (2020). An Interviewer’s Reflection of Data Collection in Building an Archive of Language Learner Experiences. The Qualitative Report, 25(11), 4055-4071. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4437
ORCID ID
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8638-6677
Included in
Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Statistics Commons
