Conducting interviews during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond

Abstract

The use of telephone and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) interviews has become necessary owing to the legal restrictions and safety measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has furthered scholarly dialogue surrounding the choice of interview mode, and the assumption that face-to-face interviews are the "gold standard" (NOVICK, 2008, p.397). The general public has also become more accustomed to utilising VoIP in their day-to-day lives. In this article, I discuss this change in communication methods and the impact it could have on interview modes. Nevertheless, the researcher's and participant's contexts remain paramount when deciding which interview mode to employ. For this reason, OLTMANN's (2016) model has been extended to include VoIP, providing a more complete framework for researchers to make an informed decision when contemplating interview modes.