Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data

Using in-depth qualitative interviews, authors Herbert J. Rubin and Irene S. Rubin have researched topics ranging from community redevelopment programs to the politics of budgeting and been energized by the depth, thoroughness, and credibility of what was revealed. They describe in-depth qualitative interviewing from beginning to end, from its underlying philosophy and assumptions to project design, analysis and write up. "This book is exactly what I was looking for in that it covers interviewing and analysis in depth."—Daphne John, Oberlin College "Students leave this book fully informed of the nuances and complexity of interviewing as well as excited about the promise interview research findings offer."—Hannah Britton, University of Kansas "The authors′ focus on the reflective process, question development, and procedural steps associated with qualitative research is rich and thorough."—Tracy M. Lara, Kent State University

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Listening, Hearing, and Sharing Chapter 2. Research Philosophy and Qualitative Interviews Chapter 3. Qualitative Data Gathering Methods and Style Chapter 4. Designing Research for the Responsive Interviewing Model Chapter 5. Designing for Quality Chapter 6. Conversational Partnerships Chapter 7. The Responsive Interview as an Extended Conversation Chapter 8. Structure of the Responsive Interview Chapter 9. Designing Main Questions and Probes Chapter 10. Preparing Follow-Up Questions Chapter 11. Variants of the Responsive Interviewing Model Chapter 12. Data Analysis in the Responsive Interviewing Model Chapter 13. Sharing the Results Chapter 14. Personal Reflections on Responsive Interviewing

About the Author :
Herbert J. Rubin is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Northern Illinois University. He is the author of Applied Social Research and (with Irene Rubin) four editions of Community Organizing and Development. He has written articles based on in-depth interviewing that explore rural development in Thailand, suburban land-use fights, cooperative housing and economic and community development. Both his monograph on Thailand, The Dynamics of Development in Rural Development and his book on community renewal in the United States, Renewing Hope within Neighborhoods of Despair: The Community-based Development Model, are based on participant observation and hundreds of in-depth interviews. He is currently using open ended in depth interviews as well as participant observation to study organizations that advocate for the poor. Irene S. Rubin is Professor Emeritus of Public Administration at Northern Illinois University.  She is the author of Running in the Red: The Political Dynamics of Urban Fiscal Stress, Shrinking the Federal Government, Class Tax and Power: Municipal Budgeting in the United States, and Balancing the Federal Budget: Eating the Seed Corn or Trimming the Herds, all four of which rely extensively on qualitative interviews.  She has written journal articles about citizen participation in local level government in Thailand, how universities adapt when their budgets are cut, and fights between legislative staffers and elected and appointed officials about unworkable policy proposals, all based on qualitative interviews.  She is in the middle of an interviewing project about how local officials view and use contracts with the private sector and with other governmental units to provide public services. 

Review :
“The book does a wonderful job of detailing how to develop questions, probes, analyze data, and organizing our data.” “This book is exactly what I was looking for in that it covers interviewing and analysis in depth.” “The Third Edition will be very useful for graduate students. It appears to seamlessly shift its lens from broad landscapes to close-ups without losing focus on the content.” “Students leave this book fully informed of the nuances and complexity of interviewing as well as excited about the promise interview research findings offer.” “This text is well-written and easy to follow. It follows the natural flow of a qualitative project.” “The authors provide a clear and detailed illustration of the nuts and bolts of interviewing in qualitative research. The focus on the reflective process, question development, and procedural steps associated with qualitative research is rich and thorough.” “This edition is at once simpler, and clearer yet more expansive and richer in content, examples and use.” “[The book] is somehow both more concise and more comprehensive than the Second Edition, providing a rich discussion of philosophy as well as design and analytic methods. The authors also have a very pleasant writing style that is engaging to the reader, and provides both clarity of the concepts discussed as well as a sense of a strong knowledge through the use of personal narrative and sharing of experiences.”