Qualitative Interviewing with Adults: Diverse Approaches and Applications

The objective of this chapter is to provide a concise, synthetic overview of the
linguistic and methodological intricacies involved in comprehending the research interview
in the social sciences. It also puts forward a system for organising these concepts based
on key criteria in the research process. An in-depth interpretive analysis has resulted in four
frameworks for classifying research interview typologies, based on differentiating criteria
such as: the degree of structure, the respondent’s freedom of expression, thematic focus,
the quality of the relationship between participants, and the stage of theory development.
Moreover, the chapter identifies various types of qualitative interviews and highlights their
specific characteristics as applied to exploring the subjective worlds of narrators’ experiences.
The text emphasises the significance of a researcher’s methodological awareness for
the effective selection and use of interviews. Indeed, the authors contend that given the
multiplicity and diversity of methodological perspectives, the rationality of the qualitative
approach is ultimately reflected in the rationality of the discourse led by the researcher.