Interviewing for Education and Social Science Research (PDF)

grounded in people's words while editing and shaping to reveal the essences of stories and their evocative powers. Examples from her own interviews with parents of students at Columbine pull the reader in and haunt with images and feelings when pages are closed.I recommend this book for all working to fully understand their research subjects." - Corrine Glesne, Author of Becoming Qualitative Researchers

"Based on her own dissertation work for which she won several awards from the American Educational Research Association, Mears' book informs readers about a number of important topics including a presentation of conceptual and practical issues related to interviewing. . . . While the gateway method is highly useful for researchers inquiring into tragic situations, it is also valuable for researchingsensitive issues (e.g., issues of race, gender, sexual orientation) and routine matters as well. Novice and experienced researchers will find this book innovative, insightful, and practical." - P. Bruce Uhrmacher, Professor of Education, University of Denver

"The Gateway Approach is an invaluable resource for oral historians and oral history educators. Mears' step-by-step methods of in-depth interviewing, analysis, and editing offer a unique means by which to disseminate the essence of a recalled experience in a powerful way by honoring, above all, the narrator's voice and word choice. Her commitment to collaboration takes Frisch's "shared authority" to the next level by asking the researcher to go beyond documentation and data analysis and continue to work with the narrator to present the material to a wider audience in a clear and meaningful way." - Erin McCarthy, Professor of History, Columbia College Chicago

"Mears introduces a fresh approach to in-depth interviewing and she has a wealth of experience to contribute to the field. . . . Mears is an excellent writer and thinker, and the awards she has received for her work are testimony to the quality she brings to this project. This book is very timely." - Karen Tonso, Associate Professor of Education, Wayne State University

"In Interviewing for Education and Social Science Research: The Gateway Approach, Carolyn Lunsford Mears outlines an approach to in-depth interviewing in qualitative research that draws upon educational criticism, oral history, and poetic display. Mears describes this narrator-centered approach as including the development of an insider's perspective and the use of exerpted narratives. She also provides useful guides and examples in the appendices to the book, making the text especially helpful to the novice qualitative researcher." - Robin Cooper, The Weekly Qualitative Report

"Interviewing for Education and Social Science Research provides a radical, new, and exciting way to connect to and represent participants and their experiences in our write up of their data. This book should be read widely amongst undergraduates, postgraduates, and new and experienced researchers to instil or remind them about the impact and importance of passionate scholarship." - Zachari Duncalf, Oral History