Interviews

Abstract

Although interviewing is increasingly used in present-day qualitative research (Denzin & Lincoln, 1998; Talmy, 2010) as an important part of triangulated data collection, along with observation (see Chapter 5), diaries and questionnaires (Block, 2000; see also Chapter 1), little has been reported on the sociocultural constraints in using this methodological tool for researching teachers in developing countries, such as Vietnam. This chapter reports part of a qualitative case study which set out to explore Vietnamese secondaryschool teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding grammar instruction. The study employed a combination of interviews, classroom observations and stimulated recall interviews (see Chapter 7) to collect the data. However, this chapter limits itself to an analysis of the challenges in conducting interviews with Vietnamese teachers regarding grammar pedagogy in the context of a public upper secondary school where English is taught as a foreign language for three hours a week. It looks reflexively at my own interviewing practices as they developed during my project. The chapter focuses on sociocultural issues such as gaining accessibility, building personal relationships and trust, choice of language, flexibility in time arrangements and logistic difficulties. In writing this chapter I was motivated by Roulston’s (2010) caution about the dangers of applying context-free advice on best practice to particular interviews.