Turning on the tap: the benefits of using ‘real-life’ vignettes in qualitative research interviews

By Helen Sampson, Idar A. Johannessen. Qualitative Research, 2020

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The use of vignettes that are based upon fictionalised accounts is well-established in contemporary social science. Vignettes have been used in a variety of ways to contribute to studies with both a quantitative and a qualitative orientation. This paper reflects on two recent qualitative studies which have made innovative use of ‘real-life’ vignettes. In each case, the paper describes some of the unanticipated and overlapping benefits that accrued from their incorporation into the research design and reflects on the advantages that ‘real-life’ vignettes might bring to future research. Drawing on two different research projects, the paper highlights the further potential contribution of ‘real-life’ vignettes to the repertoire of research methods currently available to social scientists.

Subfields: Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/35c450d7f30ed35ca7aee4c510e87ed5ba8e4ab2