Skype interviewing: reflections of two PhD researchers

By Hannah Deakin, Kelly Wakefield. 2014

835 citations recorded by the source corpus.

When conducting qualitative research, the modern-day researcher has a variety of options available in order to collect data from participants. Although traditional face-to-face interviews remain prominent, innovative communication technologies, such as Skype, have facilitated new modes of communication. While potential research populations have become increasingly geographically dispersed, technological advancements and software have made communicating over large distances more feasible. Because of this, research is no longer limited to face-to-face accessible participants, as online methods have facilitated access to global research participants. This article presents the experiences of two PhD researchers using Skype to interview participants. While findings show that there are benefits and drawbacks to the utility of Skype, this article argues that synchronous online interviewing is a useful supplement or replacement to face-to-face interviews. Concluding comments acknowledge that more research is required to more comprehensively understand how technologies challenge the basic assumptions of the traditional face-to-face interview.

Subfields: Communication, Social Psychology, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a8f0f6b3e9a6f9e6a0ce229e0bcc419176a6d833

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Citations in the corpus

Telephonic qualitative research interviews: when to consider them and how to do them (2017, background): “…of the Skype call resulting in the call dropping i.e. loss of connection, requiring call back, temporary disconnection resulting in freezing of video images and lags or delays in the receiving and sending of audio and video images (Deakin and Wakefield, 2014; Seitz, 2015; Tucker and Parker, 2014).”
Intimacy, rapport, and exceptional disclosure: a comparison of in-person and mediated interview contexts (2018, result): “In contrast to Deakin and Wakefield (2014), in our samples, broken appointments were less common in Skype interviews than in-person.”
Skype as a Tool for Qualitative Research Interviews (2016, background): “We agree with Deakin and Wakefield who posit that Skype provides (2013: 5) 'an opportunity to talk to otherwise inaccessible participants'.”
CHE Principles: facilitating authentic and dialogical semi-structured interviews in educational research (2017, methodology): “…2010; Irvine, Drew, and Sainsbury 2013), by using Internet packages such as electronic mail (James 2016) and E-interviewing with Skype and Zoom (Deakin and Wakefield 2013; Hanna 2012), or by employing various strategies of computer-assisted interviewing whereby participants complete their…”
The value of online surveys: a look back and a look ahead (2018, background): “Digital research encompasses online research—as well as any research conducted through connected devices, GPS software, company intranets, text messaging, Skype and other video services, bulletin boards, high-tech research labs and more.”
The Impact of COVID-19-Prompted Virtual/Remote Work Environments on Employees’ Career Development: Social Learning Theory, Belongingness, and Self-Empowerment (2021, methodology): “The online method was preferred because the participants were not accessible for face-toface interviews due to COVID-19 and “[s]ynchronous online interviewing is a useful. . .replacement to face-to-face interviews” (Deakin & Wakefield, 2014, p. 1).”
Interviewing When You’re Not Face-To-Face: The Use of Email Interviews in a Phenomenological Study (2015, background): “Typically, face-to-face interviews are implemented as an uncontested component of the research design, whereas online interviews are viewed as a second choice alternative when face-to-face interviews are not possible (Deakin & Wakefield, 2014).”
Using Zoom Videoconferencing for Qualitative Data Collection: Perceptions and Experiences of Researchers and Participants (2019, background): “Other studies have found that Skype participants were typically more responsive, and built rapport more quickly, than face-to-face participants (Deakin & Wakefield, 2014; Tuttas, 2015).”