International Journal of Social Research Methodology

Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2012, 81–86

BOOK REVIEWS

Interviews in qualitative research, by Nigel King and Christine Horrocks,

London, Sage, 2010, 256 pp., £65.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-4129-1256-3, £21.99
(paperback), ISBN 978-1-4129-1257-0

Interviews in Qualitative Research by King and Horrocks provides a good ground-

ing in how to conduct an interview in the social sciences. The authors’ emphasis is
mainly on practical perspectives by directing the attention of readers to the pro-
cesses of designing and conducting interviews and by making use of various exam-
ples. The book includes 11 chapters, and after introducing the plan of the book in
the introduction, the authors introduce some philosophical and theoretical issues
which are salient in qualitative interviewing. In doing so, in Chapter 2, the authors
focus on assumptions embedded in qualitative interviewing: knowledge is consti-
tuted through conversation and social practice. What is counted as knowledge and
how that knowledge is understood provides implications for qualitative interviewing
(p. 17). Knowledge could be provided through interviewees’ understandings, inter-
viewers’ interpretations, cultural background and by judging integrations (p. 21).
Specific questions and analyzing data skillfully are the cornerstones of a successful
interview. In Chapter 3, this understanding gives a further insight to the reader that
decisions that are made in the beginning of the research process when designing a
study have a major impact on the outcomes. The main steps from framing research
questions to deciding on areas of conducting research are depicted in this chapter.
These steps include, for example types of questions, scope of questions, avoiding
any presuppositions in the question that may distort the research question, and
finally considering the extent to which the research question might change in the
process of conducting an interview.
Chapter 4 highlights the elements which can enhance the quality of interviews.
They range from framing questions, using probes concerned to add depth to inter-
view data such as encouraging the participant to keep talking (p. 53); conducting an
interview with a beginning and ending, and managing sensitive points. Taking an
example, one sensitive point that is included is where high status participants are
interviewed. In this context, the researcher should avoid challenging her/his
authority in their own field but s/he should be sure of expertise in one’s own
subject (p. 57). Chapters 5 and 6 introduce two types of group interviews, and
remote interviews such as those conducted by telephone; Chapter 7 points out the
ethical practices of social research with human participants. In Chapters 8 and 9,
the authors turn to reflexivity which implies ‘reflection and thoughtfulness’ (p. 125)
looking to seek an ‘interesting relationship between existing knowledge, research
role and the world around us’ (p. 125). In other words, reflexivity offers a critical
perspective towards the impact of both the researcher and the context in which the
research is taking place. Then the authors go thorough information on how to carry
out a thematic analysis of interview transcripts by discussing themes, referring to

ISSN 1364-5579 print/ISSN 1464-5300 online

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2012.633813
http://www.tandfonline.com
82 Book reviews

examples from data and using quotations to make the theme comprehensible for the
reader. Given the alternative types of thematic analysis, while matrix analysis is a
top-down process with less chance of modification of headings in terms of analysis,
template analysis encourages ‘an iterative process of application and modification’
(p. 173). Chapter 10 differs from the earlier chapters in terms of interviewing being
placed within philosophical and methodological traditions. Taking the phenomeno-
logical perspective, the authors accentuate that phenomenology is not a monolithic
tradition. The central notion in phenomenological approach(es) is that the investiga-
tor would leave aside her/his assumptions about the phenomena involved and
attempt seeing the world in a fresh way (p. 175).
In Chapter 11, the authors introduce narrative interviewing by focusing on the
way people express their understanding of events and experiences. As narratives
represent actual experience, recreating, and reproducing events as they occurred, the
narrative interviewer could concentrate on certain events and experiences. It could
have been possible for the authors to explain narrative interviewing as a further type
of interview in the chapter where they explained remote and group interviews. Also,
the explanation of narrative interviewing remains at a general level since this type
of interview does concentrate on limited topics such as life stories. Additionally,
while the authors provide sufficient grounding when depicting how to conduct an
interview, their main focus remains on the two types of group and remote inter-
views. By referencing the work of Gubrium and Holstein (2001) the reader can take
account of a broader range of interview types and would have a chance to choose
suitable ones. Moreover, while the intention of these authors is to cover what a
researcher needs to know in qualitative research, what specific gaps are filled in the
field by this book is not specified.
Nevertheless, these are minor quibbles and they certainly do not detract from
the value of the book which focuses on qualitative interviewing and reliance on
interviewing skills. The text flows coherently and provides an account of interview
practice in different types of qualitative study. By extending the list of further read-
ings, the authors shed a crucial light on new documents to engage the reader in
evaluating her/his understanding. The book also aims at three characteristics of flex-
ible and open-ended interviews, people’s actual experience and the interaction
between interviewer and interviewee (p. 3); the authors were able to conceptualize
these aspects successfully. The book is a great source by being practically useful
for both undergraduate and graduate students, and in academia at advanced levels.
It might also be useful for more experienced researchers who are beginning their
experience of conducting qualitative interviewing (p. 3). Therefore, the book is rec-
ommended to those people as a whole who are interested in improving their studies
by conducting interviews.

Reference
Gubrium, J.F., & Holstein, J.A. (2001). Handbook of interview research: Context and
method. London: Sage.

Fatemeh Shayan
University of Tampere
Fatemeh.Shayan@uta.fi
! 2012, Fatemeh Shayan
 International Journal of Social Research Methodology 83

Methods of critical discourse analysis, (2nd ed.), edited by Ruth Wodak and Michael
Meyer, London, Sage, 2009, 204 pp., £67.00 (hardback), ISBN 9781847874543,
£22.99 (paperback), ISBN 9781847874559

The second edition of Critical Discourse Analysis, edited by Ruth Wodak and
Michael Meyer surveys qualitative and quantitative approaches to critical discourse
analysis (CDA). CDA emerged as a research method following the post-structural
turn in critical theory. This collection not only accounts for, but embraces, the com-
plexity of post-structural thought, as each essay in the volume opens with a brief
explanation of what the author understands as discourse analysis, and how that term
operates in the remainder of the chapter. As a result the collection provides readers
with multiple examples of how to define CDA, and how to use it within the param-
eters of a wide range of research projects. Each chapter closes with a list of sug-
gested readings that leave readers with a list of valuable resources at their
fingertips.
The chapters in this collection explore how to undertake research projects that
tease out how discourses shape practices, identities, and historical events. Further,
the essays follow a similar format whereby discussion of theoretical or abstract
terms is followed by concrete examples of how to use these terms within the
broader parameters of research projects. For example, Van Leeuwen’s text ‘Dis-
course as the recontextualization of social practice: a guide’ explores how dis-
courses are shaped by social practices but also form these practices from the outset.
From here, Van Leeuwen outlines how to use textual analysis to identify a dis-
course and how to analyze the process through which discourses are recontextual-
ized into practices and vice versa. Reisigl and Wodak’s ‘The discourse historical
approach (DHA)’ alerts readers to the assumptions inherent within research ques-
tions, and points towards the notion that research questions themselves are discur-
sive units. The authors go on to outline eight steps to using DHA and then briefly
outline a research project that uses this approach. Fairclough’s chapter ‘A dialecti-
cal-relational approach to critical discourse analysis in social research’ usefully
defines complex terms and how they relate to CDA, and lays out the difficulties in
using terms such as interdiscursivity and operationalization. Here, Fairclough illus-
trates how to deploy these terms in his analysis of political texts. The collection is
thus cohesive as a whole, but each essay can be used individually within the param-
eters of CDA projects.
Highlighting the second edition of this collection is the addition of Gerlinde
Mautner’s chapter ‘Checks and balances: how corpus linguistics can contribute to
CDA.’ In this chapter, Mautner addresses the inclusion of software programs
known as concordancers that allow researchers to calculate both the frequency at
which words appear in interviews, and in which word combinations they occur.
Mautner draws from the example of interviews that addressed unemployment to
determine the frequency at which this term is paired with other words such as
homelessness and disadvantaged. Discursive patterns thus emerge, and paired with
an analysis of the context and extra discursive practices that accompany these
texts, a full picture of discursive patterns emerges. The author’s creative use of
metaphors makes this chapter fun to read, introduces readers to qualitative
software, and outlines how to usefully use it to complement discourse
analysis.
84 Book reviews

A drawback to this collection is the exclusion of feminist interventions into

CDA. A handful of the texts problematize objective research, but in this process
they do not account for the dearth of feminist theories and research methods that
have made important interventions into this debate. The inclusion of a chapter spe-
cifically discussing feminist discourse analysis would have accounted for this gap in
literature, and provided readers with insight into a method that calls for researchers
to account for their own biases and subjective positioning in the research process.
The complexity of the collection may also prove to be a drawback for readers who
are not hugely familiar with CDA. The dust jacket suggests that this text is accessi-
ble to beginners and experienced researchers alike, however, the intricacy of many
of the chapters might make it difficult for a relatively inexperienced researcher to
apply some of the methods practically.
Creating a volume that can elucidate CDA for all readers, however, may be an
impossible task, as discourse analysis is a complex method. As a whole, the
strengths of this collection far outweigh the weaknesses, and Methods of Critical
Discourse Analysis will surely be a valuable addition to the collection of resources
used by more experienced social scientists.

Heather Hillsburg
The University of Ottawa
hhill049@uottawa.ca
! 2012, Heather Hillsburg

How to do your research project: a guide for students in education and applied
social sciences, by Gary Thomas, London, Sage, 2009, 272 pp., £60.00 (hardback),
ISBN 9-781847-874429, £18.99 (paperback), ISBN 9-781847-874436

How to do your research project: a guide for students in education and applied
social science is a practical text for people involved in doing research in education
and the social sciences. Underpinning the book as a whole is the fundamental asser-
tion that research should be guided by clear lines of enquiry; it should be coherent
in terms of its research questions, methods and supporting theory; and it should be
carried out by researchers who think critically. The central aim of the book is to
help the reader ensure their research meets these standards.
The chapters are presented in a logical order that mirrors the research process
that Thomas advocates. Its content includes advice on how to get started and
develop questions to guide the research; administration and project management;
the process of conducting literature searches and reviewing literature; the impor-
tance of returning to the research questions and revising them; choosing a research
approach and designing the research frame; addressing ethical and access issues for
fieldwork; selecting research methods and tools to collect data; and managing and
analyzing the data collected.
The book is comprehensive in its coverage and provides practical information,
advice, and context throughout. The reader is guided from the difficult stage of get-
ting started through to the writing of conclusions. As it progresses, the book offers
insights into the complexities and tensions inherent in education and social research
and advocates the importance of criticality. The content is relevant for both qualita-
tive and quantitative research and is written in a way that makes it possible for the
 International Journal of Social Research Methodology 85

reader to dip in and out or read from cover to cover. It does not provide informa-
tion on all the possible research designs, frames, or methods but those it does
include are the most commonly used and relevant for the expected readership. In
addition to this, when stressing the importance of coherence in the research, Tho-
mas makes the vital point that research design, frames, and methods should serve
the research intention.
This book is an excellent resource for a number of reasons. Firstly, it presents
the processes involved and reflects the recursive nature inherent in research well.
For example, Thomas talks about creating, using, and reviewing storyboards for
mapping information when doing a literature review. This is not just a practical tip
but also an example of how Thomas encourages the reader to embrace the unnerv-
ing cyclical questioning inherent in a reflexive approach to improve and drive the
research forward. However, the book could have done more to acknowledge ten-
sions that can exist between the research process and institutional structures. For
example, deadlines imposed by research sponsors or the bureaucratic requirements
of universities can be in direct conflict with the research process and these compli-
cations are realities that all research projects have to deal with to some degree.
Secondly, the book’s accessible style, design, and presentation make it a useful
resource. It is visual and uses humorous anecdotes. The writing is clear throughout,
even when dealing with complicated content. It has clear chapter and section label-
ing throughout, making it easy for the reader to locate relevant information quickly.
It contains useful and illustrative examples, often presented in separate text boxes
and it includes some excellent diagrams, (in particular: p. 15 Figure 1.1 ‘Linear or
recursive plan’; p. 92 Figure 5.9 ‘Process of research design’, p. 165 Figure 8.2
‘The beginnings of an interview schedule’).
Thirdly, the book clarifies some complex and contentious issues that new and
experienced researchers alike may struggle with. For example, Thomas tackles big
questions like ‘What’s the difference between methods and methodology?’ although
he concludes that no one really agrees about this. He also guides the reader through
intimidating terminology like paradigm, epistemology, and ontology, explaining that
the purpose is to guide and support the researcher to strengthen coherence of their
work and critically reflect on their ideas, research design, methods, and conclusions.
Where the book is not so strong is in its discussion of theory and the role of theory
in research. Although Thomas acknowledges the difficulty in defining theory and
presents some of the different guises it can take, the reader is left uncertain as to
what it is and what its purpose should be. This perhaps reflects the rather ambigu-
ous introduction given in the section dedicated to theory in which Thomas openly
writes about his own misgivings and confusion as to the role and importance of the-
ory in social research.
Finally, the book also includes information and practical tips on using informa-
tion technology in research. For example, Thomas discusses the use of bibliographic
packages, online articles and databases, the internet, and qualitative and quantitative
data analysis packages (for example, SPSS and NVivo); all are tools with which the
modern researcher in the social sciences should be familiar.
In summary, this is an excellent book. It would be a useful text for anyone tak-
ing on a research project as part of their undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral
studies. It would also be useful for those undertaking research as part of their job
as well as for those involved in supporting or supervising students or employees
embarking on research projects. The book is equally useful for people tackling their
86 Book reviews

very first research project and for more experienced researchers. It can be used as a
step-by-step guide through the research process or act as a gentle reminder and
companion to research work. Either way, it will prompt and encourage criticality
and high standards at all stages of the research process.

Anna Riggall
Oxford Brookes University, UK
anna.riggall-2010@brookes.ac.uk
! 2012, Anna Riggall
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