Comparing Telephone and Face-to-Face Qualitative Interviewing: a Research Note

By Judith E. Sturges, Kathleen J. Hanrahan. 2004

1,705 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This research note reports the results of a comparison of face-to-face interviewing with telephone interviewing in a qualitative study. The study was designed to learn visitors’ and correctional officers’ perceptions of visiting county jail inmates. The original study design called for all face-to-face interviews, but the contingencies of fieldwork required an adaptation and half of the interviews were conducted by phone. Prior literature suggested that the interview modes might yield different results. However, comparison of the interview transcripts revealed no significant differences in the interviews. With some qualifications, we conclude that telephone interviews can be used productively in qualitative research.

Subfields: Education, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/139c94868a35632890d983262a1d70d223ff0059

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Citations in the corpus

Who and What Really Counts? Stakeholder Prioritization and Accounting for Social Value (2015, neutral): “The literature indicates that while telephone interviews do not reveal nonverbal cues and the immediate context (McCoyd and Kerson, 2006; Novick, 2008), the quality of data collected using this method is similar to face-toface interviews (Sturges and Hanrahan, 2004; Sweet, 2002).”
Telephonic qualitative research interviews: when to consider them and how to do them (2017, methodology): “In a study aimed at understanding the experiences of individuals visiting family members in jail, Sturges and Hanrahan (2004) compared data acquired through 21 face-to-face qualitative interviews with 22 telephonic qualitative ones.”
Toward Understanding Remote Workers’ Management of Work–Family Boundaries: The Complexity of Workplace Embeddedness (2017, background): “On the positive side, an informant can be more relaxed because she or he has more personal space and anonymity compared with face-to faceinterviews (Sturges & Hanrahan, 2004).”
‘Am I not answering your questions properly?’ Clarification, adequacy and responsiveness in semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews (2013, methodology): “These findings are thus in contrast with those of Sturges and Hanrahan (2004) and Sweet (2002), who report little difference in interview duration across modes.”
Is There a Bias Against Telephone Interviews In Qualitative Research? (2008, background): “In contrast, relatively few qualitative studies employ telephone interviews (Sturges & Hanrahan, 2004), and there is little methodological discussion of the telephone mode in the qualitative research literature.”
Credibility, authenticity and voice: dilemmas in online interviewing (2006, background): “Despite the dilemmas faced by us as researchers with this medium of email-based qualitative research, we concur with Sturges and Hanrahan (2004) that ‘…advances in technology shape the way we do research, and researchers need to consider how the technology fits in the lives of potential…”
Duration, Dominance and Depth in Telephone and Face-to-Face Interviews: A Comparative Exploration (2011, background): “204 types of qualitative interview (Burke & Miller, 2001; Carr & Worth, 2001; Chapple, 1999; Dicker & Gilbert, 1998; Garbett & McCormack, 2001; Grant, 2011; Holt, 2010; Miller, 1995; Opdenakker, 2006; Rose, 1998; Stephens, 2007; Sturges and Hanrahan, 2004; Sweet, 2002; Tausig & Freeman, 1988).”
Using internet technologies (such as Skype) as a research medium: a research note (2012, background): “It is acknowledged that telephone interviews are rarely suggested as a practical alternative to face-to-face interviews (Sturges and Hanrahan, 2004).”
The construct validity of vigor and its antecedents: A qualitative study (2009, background): “Following the accumulated evidence supporting the validity and reliability of phone interviews (see Sturges & Hanrahan, 2004), and past studies that indicated that the planned length of each interview – about 30 minutes – could be easily achieved using phone interviewing (Bernard, 2000), we used…”
The influence of religiosity on taxpayers’ compliance attitudes: Empirical evidence from a mixed-methods study in Malaysia (2014, background): “The participants might have felt uneasy and embarrassed to respond to the interviewer’s questions during the interview process because their anonymity was not fully preserved (Sturges and Hanrahan, 2004, p. 108).”
Intimacy, rapport, and exceptional disclosure: a comparison of in-person and mediated interview contexts (2018, background): “…as a means for interviewing geographically distant participants, those who have mobility issues (e.g. disability or incarceration), those who have particularly busy schedules, and those who have concerns about privacy (Holt, 2010; Nandi & Platt, 2017; Stephens, 2007; Sturges & Hanrahan, 2004).”