Overview

Qualitative interviewing is among the most widely used methods in the social sciences, but it is arguably the least understood. In The Science and Art of Interviewing, Kathleen Gerson and Sarah Damaske offer clear, theoretically informed and empirically rich strategies for conducting interview studies. They present both a rationale and guide to the science-and art-of in-depth interviewing to take readers through all the steps in the research process, from the initial stage of formulating a question to the final one of presenting the results. Gerson and Damaske show readers how to develop a research design for interviewing, decide on and find an appropriate sample, construct a questionnaire, conduct probing interviews, and analyze the data they collect. At each stage, they also provide practical tips about how to address the ever-present, but rarely discussed challenges that qualitative researchers routinely encounter, particularly emphasizing the relationship between conducting well-crafted research and building powerful social theories. With an engaging, accessible style, The Science and Art of Interviewing targets a wide range of audiences, from upper-level undergraduates and graduate methods courses to students embarking on their dissertations to seasoned researchers at all stages of their careers.

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9780199324286

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Reviews

In this lively and multi-faceted book, Gerson and Damaske provide a useful and comprehensive guide to in-depth interview research - a fresh update to classic handbooks by Glaser and Strauss, Merton, Weiss, and others. Chock-full of examples from the works of contemporary scholars, The Science and Art of Interviewing will prove a valuable reference to researchers across the social sciences. * Mario Small, Grafstein Family Professor of Sociology, Harvard University * Building on Gerson and Damaske's own highly esteemed interview-based work as well as on that of numerous other social researchers, The Science and Art of Interviewing explores the intellectual, ethical, and practical mechanics of 'depth interviewing.' Stressing both scientific rigor and artistic creativity, it walks the reader through the various steps of the interview-based research process - from sampling and recruiting, through listening(!) and probing, to adapting to surprises and contradictions - offering future researchers the best possible advice on how to capture people's 'voice thereby realizing the very goal of 'verstehen,' interpretive sociology. * Eviatar Zerubavel, author of Generally Speaking and The Clockwork Muse * Recent debates around interviewing have raised awareness about the centrality of this method to the social sciences, and about how to make sense of the data. This new book by master interviewers Kathleen Gerson and Sarah Damaske is destined to become the new 'go-to' for learning and teaching about best practices, tricks of the trade, ad recent controversies. It is sure to become the Learning from Strangers for the new generations of scholars. I recommend it wholeheartedly! * Michele Lamont, Harvard University, and Former president of the American Sociological Association *

"""Recent debates around interviewing have raised awareness about the centrality of this method to the social sciences, and about how to make sense of the data. This new book by master interviewers Kathleen Gerson and Sarah Damaske is destined to become the new 'go-to' for learning and teaching about best practices, tricks of the trade, ad recent controversies. It is sure to become the Learning from Strangers for the new generations of scholars. I recommend it wholeheartedly!"" -- Michele Lamont, Harvard University, and Former president of the American Sociological Association ""Building on Gerson and Damaske's own highly esteemed interview-based work as well as on that of numerous other social researchers, The Science and Art of Interviewing explores the intellectual, ethical, and practical mechanics of 'depth interviewing.' Stressing both scientific rigor and artistic creativity, it walks the reader through the various steps of the interview-based research process DL from sampling and recruiting, through listening(!) and probing, to adapting to surprises and contradictions DL offering future researchers the best possible advice on how to capture people's 'voice thereby realizing the very goal of 'verstehen,' interpretive sociology."" -- Eviatar Zerubavel, author of Generally Speaking and The Clockwork Muse ""In this lively and multi-faceted book, Gerson and Damaske provide a useful and comprehensive guide to in-depth interview research DL a fresh update to classic handbooks by Glaser and Strauss, Merton, Weiss, and others. Chock-full of examples from the works of contemporary scholars, The Science and Art of Interviewing will prove a valuable reference to researchers across the social sciences."" -- Mario Small, Grafstein Family Professor of Sociology, Harvard University"

Author Information

Kathleen Gerson is Professor of Sociology and Collegiate Professor of Arts and Science at New York University. She is the author of The Unfinished Revolution: Coming of Age in a New Era of Gender, Work, and Family (Oxford, 2011) and The Time Divide: Work, Family, and Gender Inequality (with Jerry A. Jacobs, 2004). Sarah Damaske is Associate Professor of Sociology and Labor & Employment Relations at The Pennsylvania State University. She is the author of For the Family? How Class and Gender Shape Women's Work (Oxford, 2011).

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