From the speech of the other to the negotiated text: discussions about the interview in the qualitative research

Abstract

The article discusses the interview as a qualitative technique in the apprehension of perception and personal experience of world situations and events. The intersubjective relation, interviewer and interviewee, is of fundamental importance for allowing the access to the signs attributed by persons to the world events, as such product is the result of mutual influences in the interacting process in interview. The first section discusses the qualitative approach of the research and points the main differences towards the quantitative approach, as well as the theorical-methodological implications for using the interview as a technique for research. The second characterizes the qualitative interviews within the structure, types, participants role, and also discusses criteria in selecting the interviewees, representativity, validity, and trustworthiness in the results of the interpretations. The last section presents some considerations about the limits and possibilities in using the technique.