Die Pseudo-Exploration – Überlegungen zur Technik qualitativer Interviews in der Sozialforschung / Pseudo-exploration – Thoughts on the techniques of qualitative interviews in social research

Abstract

Abstract The topic of the article is methods and methodology of ‘‘qualitative” research in sociology. Taking own experiences in a school administration project as an example, I try to show risks, fallacies and typical conflicts in the “qualitative interview”. This is shown to be subjected to a fundamental dilemma: the “qualitative interview” aims at a “natural” discourse but cannot fully adapt to rules of everyday communication. The roles of the interviewer and of the interviewee remain separated, and the governing influence of the interviewer is maintained. An especially restrictive form of this influence is the “bureaucratization” of the interview which, ironically, is fostered by the very features of the qualitative interview being its specific advantages, namely, openness, unstructuredness, and the like. On the other hand, to avoid “bureaucratization” of the interview does not mean successful communication. As the interviewer relies of his competence in everyday communication, new risks and tensions arise. The article is concerned with the analysis of these conflicts and offers no solutions in the technical sense.