Walking Interviews

Abstract

Walking interviews or ``go-alongs'' are an innovative qualitative research method which has recently gained popularity among cross-disciplinary researchers. Walking interviews entail researchers and participants talking while walking together. Informed by ``the new mobilities paradigm'' and ``the spatial turn'' within the social sciences, this method has been employed in various settings and with participants of all ages. Walking interviews are a valuable means of deepening understandings of lived experiences in particular places. The rich, detailed, and multisensory data generated by walking interviews demonstrates that they are a valuable, valid, feasible, and empowering means of conducting qualitative inquiry. They can also be employed concurrently with other qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation. The use of walking interviews in health research, with its potential to capture the lived experiences of health and illness, has so far been relatively limited. This chapter introduces the reader to the walking interview method, provides practical guidance for its use, outlines epistemological, ethical, and practical considerations for researchers, and canvasses its varied applications for qualitative health research.