Abstract

Group interviews have been widely used across a range of disciplines and with a variety of analytic approaches and topics. In this entry, reasons for choosing group interviews are explored. The practicalities of setting up, sampling, recruiting and running group interviews are considered. Some ethical considerations specific to group interview methods are discussed. Suggestions are given about how to design a group interview schedule, introduce, and conduct a group interview. The implications of using this research method from different theoretical frameworks are also included. Some popular approaches and guidelines for the analysis of group interview data are presented, and specific issues in analysis of group data are attended to—in particular the power dynamics in a group, tendencies towards normative responses, impact of dominant views or silencing of minority views. The entry concludes by describing new methodologies for group interviewing, in particular telephone interviewing and online group interviews. Further directions and challenges are highlighted.