Using Reflexive Interviewing to Foster Deep Understanding of Research Participants’ Perspectives

• Main Authors: Alex Sandro Gomes Pessoa, Erin Harper, Isabela Samogim Santos, Marina Carvalho da Silva Gracino
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2019-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Qualitative Methods
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918825026

It is usual that researchers, in the process of transcribing interviews or even during data analysis, realize that important issues were superficially mentioned by the interviewees, but for several possible reasons, these topics were not explored by the researcher in-depth or properly. It is also common during the interview to not realize that certain content evoked by the participants are connected to the research questions that originated the study. Similarly, some content brought in by the interviewees may seem confusing, contradictory, or even insufficient to be subjected to protocols of qualitative data analysis. This article aims to present a technique that allows researchers to have a deeper and more accurate understanding of the subjective topics that may emerge through a qualitative approach: the reflexive interview. This technique consists of the engagement of the interviewer and interviewee in the process of elaboration and collective understanding of the interviewee’s perspectives and experiences. Rather than only reporting their experiences descriptively, interviewees, with the support of interviewers, have the opportunity to share the meanings of the reality surrounding them and the events of their own lives, without being interpreted arbitrarily only by the interviewer. This article intends to conceptualize the reflexive interview, pointing out its benefits and the procedures necessary to employ it in a qualitative study. Two case studies are presented to the reader to illustrate the reflexivity processes that can engage participants through this resource, as well as how reflexive interviewing promotes a deep understanding of participants’ perspectives. Finally, general recommendations are provided, including examples of questions that can compose a script of a reflexive interview. It is hoped that this article provides a new resource for researchers interested in more accurately embodying participants’ perspectives and experiences.