Proximity to Power: The Challenges and Strategies of Interviewing Elites in Higher Education Research

Authors

Kevin McClure, University of North Carolina WilmingtonFollow
Jon L. McNaughtan, Texas Tech UniversityFollow

Abstract

Presidents, provosts, deans, and other upper-level administrators in higher education fit common definitions of “elites” in the context of qualitative research. Scholarship on methods specific to the field of higher education has not identified or described the unique challenges of interviewing these and other elites. The purpose of this paper is to examine challenges and share strategies for elite interviewing, with specific application to qualitative research in the field of higher education. We provide three examples of empirical studies involving elite interviewing and, using literature from other fields, highlight challenges and strategies. By anticipating challenges and implementing these strategies, researchers can enhance the data collection experience and quality of data.

Keywords

elite interviewing, power, case study, interviewing strategies, higher education

Author Bio(s)

Kevin R. McClure is an Associate Professor of Higher Education, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403. Website with Additional Bio Information: http://people.uncw.edu/mcclurek/. Please direct correspondence to mcclurek@uncw.edu.

Jon McNaughtan is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock TX 79409. Website with additional Bio information: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/education/our-people/Faculty/jon_mcnaughtan.php. Please direct correspondence to jon.mcnaughtan@ttu.edu.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Cecilia Orphan for here excellent feedback on the initial version of this paper.

Publication Date

3-12-2021

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4615

Recommended APA Citation

McClure, K., & McNaughtan, J. L. (2021). Proximity to Power: The Challenges and Strategies of Interviewing Elites in Higher Education Research. The Qualitative Report, 26(3), 874-992. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4615