Learning How to Interview for Qualitative Research

Authors

Kathryn Roulston, University of GeorgiaFollow
Brigette A. Herron, Independent scholarFollow
Caprial Farrington, University of GeorgiaFollow

Abstract

A key component of qualitative methods coursework has been the interview assignment, which typically prepares scholars to conduct in-person, individual, and open-ended interviews. This study examined what novice researchers did and learned during an interview assignment in an introductory qualitative methods course. Interview transcripts and reflections from 12 graduate students who enrolled in an online or face-to-face section of the course were analyzed. Findings review students’ reflections on the process of conducting the interview project, beginning with the preparation phase, what they discussed concerning how the interviews transpired and their experiences of the transcription process. The article reports on how students facilitated the interviews as observable in the transcriptions and provided recommendations for pedagogical strategies that support student learning. By recognizing the need for improving the balance between structured preparation and flexibility and the value of non-verbal cues and rapport building in research, students can better prepare for managing the complexity of qualitative interviewing and enhance their overall competence in conducting and analyzing their practice. This paper contributes to research on teaching qualitative interviewing by drawing directly from student practice and reflection for the benefit of improving teaching practice.

Keywords

teaching qualitative research, teaching interviewing, novice interviewers, learning to interview, qualitative research interviews

Author Bio(s)

Kathryn Roulston (ORCID: 0000-0002-9429-2694) is Professor of Qualitative Research in the Mary Frances Early College of Education at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include qualitative methods and analyses of talk-in-interaction. She is the author of Interviewing: A Guide to Theory and Practice (2022), Exploring the Archives: A Beginner’s Guide for Qualitative Researchers (Roulston & deMarrais, 2021), and Qualitative Research Design and Methods: An Introduction (deMarrais, Roulston, & Copple, 2024), and editor of Quests for Questioners: Inventive Approaches to Qualitative Interviews (2023). She has contributed chapters to handbooks and journals of qualitative methodology. Please direct correspondence to roulston@uga.edu

Brigette Adair Herron holds a Ph.D. in Adult Education from the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy at the University of Georgia. She is from Athens, Georgia and holds graduate certificates in Women’s Studies, Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies, and Global Health. Her scholarly research interests include transnational and justice-oriented feminist pedagogy in adult and higher education, examining the influence of philanthropy and dark money on curriculum and pedagogy in higher education, and teaching and researching with qualitative research methodology. Recent books include Philanthropy, Hidden Strategy, and Collective Resistance: A Primer for Concerned Educators (with K. deMarrais, T. J. Brewer, J. Atkinson, & J. Lewis) and Neon Side of Town: The Story of the B-52s (with S. Creney).

Caprial Farrington is a doctoral student in Educational Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on the politics of education and the intersections of education with social and economic policy.

Publication Date

8-31-2025

Creative Commons License

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

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7737

Recommended APA Citation

Roulston, K., Herron, B. A., & Farrington, C. (2025). Learning how to interview for qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 30(8), 4129-4151. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7737

ORCID ID

ORCID: 0000-0002-9429-2694