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Qualit. Interviewing

Workshop on Qualitative Interviewing,
22-23 October 2010


This workshop aimed to introduce the participants to the practice of qualitative in-depth interviewing, a widely used method in social science research. It also aimrf to question the limits of this methodology and discuss its strengths and weaknesses. The seminar started with a general introduction to the theory of qualitative interviewing, and gave an overview of the interviewing process and the various possible types of interviewing. The various stages of an interview were then reviewed in further details. Typical problems were discussed and practical exercices were conducted. Finally, attention was devoted to the discussion of the limits of in-depth interviewing and possible articulations of this method with other methods (survey research, ethnographic methods, etc.).

The workshop took on 22-23 October 2010 in the premises of Ilia State University in Tbilisi.


Trainer


The workshop was conducted by Dr. Lea Sgier.

Dr. Lea Sgier is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science of the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary (www.ceu.hu/polsci), where she teaches courses on qualitative methods, gender & politics, and nationalism. Before that, she was senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where she also did her PhD. She also teaches qualitative methods at the Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection, University of Essex (United Kingdom) (www.essex.ac.uk/summerschool). She is associated to ASCN as adviser for capacity building.


Participants


The workshop gathered 15 participants. It was primarily conceived for researchers with little knowledge and practice in conducting interviews and who wished to gain some insights into the nature and uses of this method. However, some researchers more experienced with interviewing also took advantage of this workshop to reflect upon their practices.

The overwheliming majority of participants were involved in one of the ASCN supported research projects in social sciences. However, ASCN also invited a few external scholars to participate in the workshop.


Evaluation


The workshop was very positively evaluated by the participants. They enjoyed the trainer’s professionalism and didactic skills. Many appreciated the interactivity of the training and
highlighted its usefulness for their own research activities.