Systematic methodological review: developing a framework for a qualitative semi‐structured interview guide
Hanna Kallio, Anna‐Maija Pietilä, Martin Johnson, Mari Kangasniemi- General Nursing
Abstract
Aim
To produce a framework for the development of a qualitative semi‐structured interview guide.
Background
Rigorous data collection procedures fundamentally influence the results of studies. The semi‐structured interview is a common data collection method, but methodological research on the development of a semi‐structured interview guide is sparse.
Design
Systematic methodological review.
Data sources
We searched PubMed,
Review methods
We analysed the data using the qualitative content analysis method.
Results
Our analysis resulted in new synthesized knowledge on the development of a semi‐structured interview guide, including five phases: (1) identifying the prerequisites for using semi‐structured interviews; (2) retrieving and using previous knowledge; (3) formulating the preliminary semi‐structured interview guide; (4) pilot testing the guide; and (5) presenting the complete semi‐structured interview guide.
Conclusion
Rigorous development of a qualitative semi‐structured interview guide contributes to the objectivity and trustworthiness of studies and makes the results more plausible. Researchers should consider using this five‐step process to develop a semi‐structured interview guide and justify the decisions made during it.