Box 1.

Novel characteristics of Merton and Kendall’s (1946: 541) ‘focussed interview’ technique.

1. The people interviewed have experiential knowledge of a specific social situation 2. The interviewer has previously analysed that social situation and developed hypotheses about meaning, elements and outcomes relevant to that social situation 3. The interviewer questions are prepared in advanced, taking into consideration those hypotheses to guide the data collection process 4. Although the interview is conducted by elucidating the subjective experience of participants about those social situations, this is done with two aims: ‘a) To test the validity of hypotheses derived from content analysis and social psychological theory, and b) To ascertain unanticipated responses to the situation, thus giving rise to fresh hypotheses’ (Merton and Kendall, 1946: 541).