E/M 267: Entrepreneurship I: Conducting Interviews and Focus Groups

"This popular text, now in its fifth edition, provides step-by-step guidance for new and experienced researchers who want to use interviewing as a research method. This user-friendly guide explains the rationale for interviewing and the complexity of selecting interview participants, important interviewing techniques, and how to work with the results of interviews." - from the publisher

""The second edition of this landmark volume emphasizes the dynamic, interactional, and reflexive dimensions of the research interview. Contributors highlight the myriad dimensions of complexity that are emerging as researchers increasingly frame the interview as a communicative opportunity as much as a data-gathering format. The book begins with an overview of the history and conceptual transformations of the interview, which is followed by chapters that discuss the main components of interview practice. Taken together, the contributions to the handbook encourage readers to simultaneously learn the frameworks and technologies of interviewing and reflect on the epistemological foundations of the interview craft." - from the publisher

"This practical, user-friendly text takes the novice researcher through all of the steps of an interviewing project, beginning with picking a viable and absorbing topic, gaining the confience of interviewees, preparing questions, and the final analysis and write-up." "A core purpose of the book is building confidence in beginning researchers so they can begin to interview right away and experience the excitement of learning about others' lives and stories. Examples from the authors' own interviews and those of professional colleagues create an engaging first-hand feel. For more experienced researchers the book examines debates in the literature on what can be learned with what kind of certainty and the appropriate role of the author in the final text."--Jacket.

Richard Krueger offers a rich and valuable discussion of focus group analysis that is sure to become a major guide in future focus group efforts. Because analyzing focus group data is different from analyzing data collected through other qualitative methodologies, it presents new challenges to researchers. Analyzing and Reporting Focus Group Results offers an overview of important principles guiding focus group research and suggests a systematic and verifiable analysis strategy. Krueger is not doctrinaire, but instead offers multiple approaches and invites others to share their strategies for analysis. The book is helpful for academic audiences, focus group practitioners, and the occasional moderator.

"The extensively revised edition of the best-selling Focus Groups as Qualitative Research continues to provide an excellent guide for researchers across the disciplines. Reflecting the many changes that have occurred in the study of focus groups in recent years, the book begins with an updated introduction offering a discussion of current social science approaches to focus groups. Expanded coverage on the comparison of focus groups to individual interviews follows, and there is more material on the strengths and weaknesses of focus groups. The section on self-contained focus groups has also been expanded. Subsequent chapters have been revised to include examples from social scientists who have established their own practices and methodological research on focus groups. In conclusion, the author offers future directions and references that take into account the explosive growth of focus groups as a research tool for all social scientists." - from the publisher

"Developing Focus Group Research critically examines the potential of a versatile and powerful method of research - focus groups." - from the publisher