Evidence from Interviews

Abstract

One way of collecting evidence is to talk to people. This is an act of listening. While there is a place for reading out questions from a multiple choice questionnaires, doing so barely qualifies as listening or even as meaningful conversation. This chapter is concerned with who to listen to, how to listen, and whether what you hear is likely to be informative. Same of the labels given to the practice of listening are “nondirective interviews,” “qualitative research,” and “long interviews.” What-ever the process is called (and as the quote above suggests), learning from listening is not easy.

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning¨.

[Proverbs 1:5].

…three are the times, the past, the present, and the future; however, it could be said: three are the times, the present of the past, the present of the present and the present of the future. Although they are already in our mind, we can see them from another perspective: the present of the past is the memory, the present of the present is the direct representation of an aspect of reality, the present of the future is the expectation [St Augustine].