Question

Hank, a researcher, is discussing football fan behavior with a respondent. His approach is almost completely unstructured, and he enters into a discussion with few expectations. Hank's primary goal is for a respondent to tell him about his or her experience as a football fan, after which he will try to derive meaning from the dialog. Which qualitative research technique is Hank using?

a. conversation
b. focus group
c. depth interview
d. case study

Answer 1

Hank is using a depth interview approach, which is a qualitative research method that involves unstructured, open-ended questions to gather detailed personal experiences and thoughts from the respondent about being a football fan.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hank, the researcher discussing football fan behavior with a respondent, is primarily using a depth interview. This qualitative research technique involves unstructured, open-ended questioning that encourages respondents to share their experiences and thoughts in detail. By allowing the conversation to flow naturally with few predetermined expectations, Hank can gather rich, nuanced qualitative data from the respondent's personal narratives and insights into their experiences as a football fan.

In the context of the options provided, while focus groups and case studies are also qualitative research methods, they are characterized by different approaches. Focus groups involve group discussions, and case studies typically refer to a detailed examination of an individual case or scenario over time. Therefore, the conversational, one-on-one nature of Hank's approach best matches the description of a depth interview.