A qualitative research is one that considers concepts and the interpretation of phenomena in a rather natural instead of an experimental approach. As such, qualitative research gives priority to the meanings, experiences and views provided by the research participants. Qualitative methods are mostly aimed at understanding people, context or even understanding interactions between actors in a society. When designing a qualitative research, one considers the natural setting, the wholeness of the research, the research design to adopt and the likelihood that the research will add new information to the existing knowledge about the subject. In this reflective paper, I adopted a qualitative design, where I used semi-structured questionnaire to collect data from my cousin who works with the local government as a community health nurse. After conducting the interview, I used the grounde

Reflection in Carrying out the Qualitative Process:

Carrying out qualitative research is a process that starts with a preparation that involves planning for the interview before conducting the actual interview. The planning phase of a qualitative research process is very instrumental to the success of the project (Chenail, 2011, P. 1714). In the planning, I first reflected on my area of interest before drafting a topical statement in that particular area. Banner (2010) advises that; after reflecting on an area of interest, one ought to draft a research statement in the form of a topic, and then go head to formulate the research questions, as well as the research objectives. According to Chenail(2011), formulating research questions is an important step since it guides the researcher to the topics that will be considered during the interviewing process. In this particular qualitative interview process, I had a specific topic area that I wanted to explore, which was: ‘the attitudes to, and uses, of different information sources on healthy and unhealthy foods”. After coming up with this particular topic, I carried out a literature review regarding the topic in order to ascertain the information that already existed, and the gap in the literature. Windridge, Ockleford and Hancock (2007, P. 6) reiterate that a literature review is necessary to avoid duplication of information that has already been documented, and to facilitate the authenticity of a research project. By carrying out the literature review, I was able to filter the existing information and focus on a specific area that needed further research. The literature review also gave me a wide area of comparisons in the data analysis part, where I needed to compare the findings of different researchers with my findings.

Navigating through the preparation phase als required that I come up with a topic guide that would assist me in knowing the themes I will include in the interview. Additionally, the topic guide would enable me to cover the most important areas about the selected topic. Daniel and Turner (2010, P. 755) observe that designing a topic guide is one of the most crucial steps in a qualitative research process. According to these researchers, a topic guide enables the researcher to organize the themes of interest in a systematic manner, such that it is even easier for the respondent to participate in the research process. A topic guide contains the themes and topics that the researcher is interested in, and upon which the whole research is based. In my qualitative research interview, I considered all the topics I wanted to investigate in relation to the broad topic area, and arranged them in a systematic manner, as can be seen in the questionnaire document attached in the appendix. In addition, I was careful to construct the research questions in a manner that enabled me to dig deep into the experiences of my respondent. Without such a consideration, it would have been difficult for me to get enough information from the respondent. In regard to such consideration, I designed open-ended questions, which allowed the respondent to come up with their chosen terms while responding to the questions. In a bid to make sure that I do not influence the answers provided by the respondent, I made sure that all the questions were neutral. This was important to allow the participant to give their honest opinion about the question. In my interview,

The other important aspect of a qualitative research process is in selecting the participants. Rosham and Deptee (2009) advises that the researcher has to be selective enough to select the most qualified participants who will provide the most credible information in a particular field. I the choosing of participants also, there is a great need to consider an open person who will be ready to share their experiences. After choosing a suitable participant, there is a need to select a suitable environment for the interview, a place free of interruptions that would lead to breakdowns in the flow of information (Nelson, Onwuegbuzie, Wines &Frels,2013). In my qualitative research study, I decided to choose a social person, who, besides being a social community, health worker, has been in the field for a reasonable time, thus has the experience. Daniel and Turner (2010) emphasize the need to make such preparations for the interview, arguing that the lack of preparation can lead to multiple ambiguities, de-focusing the researcher. As such, I made sure that my pre-interview activities addressed all the potential challenges and biases in order to succeed in the actual interview. In reflection, I take this as a bold move since it enabled me to transcend smoothly through the interview process.

In a bid to succeed in a qualitative interview process, the researcher ought to approach the interviewer in a manner that is decent and that upholds their confidentiality. According to Ritchie, Lewis, Nicholls and Ormston (2013, P. 149), the researcher should arrange to meet the interviewer at an appropriate time agreed by both, and explain the purpose of the interview. I performed excellently in this area since I made sure I called the respondent and explained the purpose of the interview prior to the interview. On the day of the actual interview, it was easy for me since, as I elaborated the purpose of the interview, it was quite easy for my respondent to nod agreement. In the explanation, I also informed the respondent about the estimated time for the interview and made sure we were in agreement. I assured him that the time will be valuable both to him and to me, and reiterated that it was an opportunity for us to learn from one another. I also made sure the respondent was composed before commencing the interview, and that there was no potential barrier prior to the interview.

The actual interview process was a walkover for me, provided I had done all the preparation and made sure everything was in place. According to Rosham and Deptee (2009), I made sure all the questions were clear, and I would ask each question at a time to avoid confusion. After each question, I would give enough time to the respondent so that I can get clear information. There was room for seeking clarifications, an opportunity I utilized excellently. A major challenge I encountered during the interview was on how to remain neutral. As Daniel and Turner (2010) records, there is a need to remain neutral during the interview process in order get the honest views of the participant. My strong will to give my opinion almost defeated me, but I made sure to follow the recommendations of research experts. As we transited from one major topic to the other, I informed the respondent and notified him to note the transition. I had given him a copy of the questionnaire, even though I conducted an individual face to face interview where I asked him questions as he responded. The other major challenge in the interview was in maintaining the topic under discussion. I realized that my respondent was a very talkative person who would go into unnecessary details when addressing the questions. He admired the interview, thus wanted to talk and narrate all stories. However, in consideration of the set time and topical issues, I controlled him in a wise way so that we can keep on track.

In this qualitative interview process, I used a semi-structured interview approach since it enables both the researcher and the respondent to interact in a scientific manner (Immy, 2005, P. 38). In addition, the semi-structured interview enables the two to engage in a formal undertaking which is beneficial to the research process. According to Packer (2010 needed. Cargan (2007, P. 94) asserts that the inclusion of open-ended questions is crucial in a semi-structured interview approach, as it enabled interaction between the interviewer and the respondent. In my qualitative interview process, I made use of this because I had included most of the questions as open-ended. As I came to learn later, such questions were very instrumental to the fruitful interaction we had with the respondent.

Considering that I used a semi-structured interview approach, Whiting (2008, P. 35 notes during the interview. Galletta (2013) advise that the process of taking notes in a semi-structured interview approach can deter the respondent from disclosing all the information due to frustrations, a challenge that face me head on. In the future, I would consider using a tape recorder in order to facilitate a smooth flow in the interview, and also as a measure of maintaining a good rapport between me, as the researcher, and the respondent. Although I faced these challenges, I have no regrets for choosing semi-structured interview. As Merriam (2009, P. 90)

On reflection, I believe that the interview process was very successful, despite the challenges encountered. In relation to the rapport between me and the respondent, it was excellent. I started preparing the respondent days before the interview took place. I made a call to him to remind him, and reassured him that the interview was for research purposes. During the actual interview, I allayed any fears and anxiety expressed by the respondent, in line with the recommendations of Babbie (2007, 87). Although the rapport was interrupted by my taking notes in between as noted above, I minimized this by just making notes, and expounding on them after the actual interview. The content of the interview was also appropriate as can be noted in the attached interview guide. In regard to content, I designed a topic guide that covered all the important areas of the research paper. To ensure that the content was in line with the research topic, the topic areas were all related to the research objectives and questions, as advised by Manuel (2012, P. 20). In view of the preparations and the interview process that followed the due scientific process, I reiterate that the findings of the research process are very valid. Indeed, the cogency of the findings cannot be doubted since the information was first hand, and the scientific research process is documented as it was followed. That aside, the research findings also addressed the set research questions to a great extent. This is because, despite the topic themes and interview questions being directly related to the research topic, there was room to seek clarifications, which enabled me to meet the requirements of the topic guide. Since this was a face to face interview, I controlled the respondent whenever he wandered from the main topic, making sure only the important areas were discussed.

If I were to undertake the analysis in this research, I would apply grounded theory method of qualitative analysis. According to Oktay (2012), grounded theory makes use of a single case from a predefined research population, in which the researcher examines whether the findings agree with the pre-formulated statement of the hypothesis. In this regard, I would have examined if e findings from this research agree with my hypothesis, or further consider this as a prior study, which would lead to a hypothesis that I would use to conduct other related studies. Uruqhart (2010) states that if the case statement agrees with the findings, a further study is conducted to verify the hypothesis. However, in the case where there is a disagreement, the researcher can change the statement to fit the cases or further review the possibility of changing the population of the study. The process can, therefore, continue after the selection of another case (Elos & Kyngas, 2007). The flexibility in the continuity of the research process was the basis with which I decided to choose grounded theory as my basis for analysis. Also, considering the case under study, grounded theory approach for analysis was the best since the situation could allow a general statement as the hypothesis for the study. Additionally, the grounded theory approach enables a researcher, through coding and theoretical sampling, to incorporate all the aspects in the theory in order to support their theoretical observations.

In consideration of the interview that I carried out, I would be a bit more thorough when conducting a similar interview, especially one that would entail the use of a semi-structured approach. By learning from the experience, there are activities that I would still do as I did them, and there are others that I would change in order to achieve the objectives more effectively. In the preparation phase, for example, I did most of the things as appropriate (Hesse-Biber & Leavy, 2010, P. 326), so I wouldn’t like to change much. For example, I prepared the respondent, myself and the research materials, as well as the environment, factors that made the research process very successful. Also, I booked an appointment with the respondent on time, and I made effort to remind them, a factor that saw the respondent admire the research process, thus presenting their ideas in a very sober manner.

There are some issues, however, I did not meet the expectations, and I would like to reconsider them in a future interview. For instance, maintaining a rapport throughout the interview process is very paramount (Baker, 2012). However, I made a mistake by deciding to conduct the interview without a tape-recorder, which meant I had to take notes to capture all the important details the respondent provided. These interruptions had a double-sided consequence. Firstly, there were interruptions in the course of the interview, especially when the respondent noted that I was busy noting down points as he talked. This made him pause infrequently in the process; a factor I believe might have made him forget some of the most important information. Secondly, the pauses in the course of the interview led to a relapse of the set time. Jacob and Furgurson (2012) advise that a researcher should adhere to the set interview period to make sure that the respondent does not become anxious. In the case where a respondent becomes anxious, there is a possibility of them withholding crucial information, affecting the credibility of the findings. In my case, though, I had an advantage since the respondent admired the process so much that he did not realize even when the time elapsed. The other aspect that I would like to improve in the future is how to deal with bias. As it stands, realized that am a very opinionated person who is likely to hint answers to the respondents. My attempt to maintain neutrality was almost threatened, but I am prepared to keep neutral throughout the course of future interviews.

Conclusion

In sum, the conduction of a qualitative research interview is a stepwise process. In the process, the researcher needs to prepare the research tools, the topic guide, research questions, and also to prepare the respondent in advance for the interview. As noted in the existing literature, prior preparation is important for the success of the research process. During the interview, one has to create a rapport with the respondent and to maintain it. In the research process that I carried out, I made sure all the factors were in place before conducting the interview. Further, I managed the actual interview well, an action that enabled me to attract all the important information from the respondent. Therefore, in the entire research process, I am certain performed as per the expectations. However, I made some mistake, which I will rectify in future interview processes.

References

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