Max Bergman is Chair of Social Research and Methodology at the University of Basel, Switzerland. His main focus is on sustainability and global studies, particularly the interdependence of society, business, and government in a globalized world. He teaches and publishes on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, and he chairs the World Sustainability Forum. At present, he is also Visiting Professor at the University of International Business and Economics, China.
The aim of this workshop is to examine different aspects of interview strategies and data analysis techniques, including: the variations, possibilities, and limits of interviewing techniques; assumptions and biases during the interview process; construction of an interview schedule from a research question; question and interview schedule design; reliability and validity issues relating to the interviewing and analysis process; analysis of interview material with an emphasis on coding frames and interpretive methods; interviewing within a mixed methods research design; strategies of reporting research results from interviews for scientific publications.
Throughout the week, daily exercises on how to collect and analyze interview material will be an important part of the course. The participants are invited to work on their own interview data during the course.
Basic texts/overview of topics covered
No particular prerequisites are required. However, a background in the social sciences or related fields and preparatory readings are highly recommended.