Data Collection Via In-depth Email Interviews
Rationale/Conceptual Basis/Background. Email surveys are a popular method of data collection for research performed across many social science disciplines; however, the use of in-depth interviews via multiple email exchanges in qualitative studies is uncommon. This method of data collection may be a good fit for a variety of qualitative approaches, including phenomenology, discourse analysis, and qualitative descriptive. As Internet exchanges in society have become more common, research interviews via email should no longer be considered novel. Nevertheless, but for a few excellent articles on email interviewing, there is a significant gap in extant literature regarding the use of this method of data collection.
Methods. In-depth email interviews were used with older adults (65 years or older) in a study exploring perceptions of Smart Home technology. These interviews were text-based, asynchronous, time-lapsed, and focused conversations, eliciting extensive conversational text. Transcripts were prepared by copying email text into a word processing document, which was chronologically ordered, line numbered, and de-identified. The content (related to Smart Home technology) was analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Additionally, and for purposes of this presentation, these texts were analyzed for interview style, using a generic interpretive process that included reading the interrogatives and evaluating the responses with regard to depth of description, quality of personal disclosure, and synchrony and time between questions and answers. An interpretation of the strengths and weaknesses of the email interview process, along with recommendations for quality data collection using email interviews was generated.
Results. In-depth interviews via multiple email exchanges are an efficient and low-cost method of data collection that produces high quality, discriminative, and concise data for representation. Email interviews offer many benefits such as convenience, well thought-out participant responses, and immediately available text-based data that is ready for analysis. Skillful email interviewing requires attention to a variety of influences for best results.
Implications. Recognition of email interviewing as a method of data collection may help nurse researchers perform low cost and efficient interviews that can be performed from any location where Internet is available. Nurse researchers using email interviews for topics requiring methodical and deep participant responses may obtain high levels of discriminative data. Convenience without sacrificing quality may encourage more nurses to give nursing research a try.