Recording Data: Ethnography

Abstract

The last two chapters have dealt with research based on the questionnaire survey. Data can also be collected using the techniques of in-depth interviewing. This chapter considers the issues and practical steps you need to understand to conduct your research. You will learn about ‘semi-structured’ interviews as a general method, as well as specific types of research which use this and more ‘unstructured’ approaches such as the life history and oral history. Feminist concerns about the practice and use of interviews are important contributions to the debate on research methods.