Researcher-participant rapport

A topic in research methodology

Developing a rapport with research participants can be very important, especially in interpretative research.

Quality of interview data

Rapport can influence the quality of data obtained, for example in interviews.

“Interviews are a crucial source of data for many research questions. The quality of the research interpretation and analysis depends upon the quality of the text generated in the interview. The text generated in an interview depends upon the relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee.”

Limerick et al., 1996: 59

Quality of research experience

But, of course, there is also an ethical issue, in how research participsnt experience the research process:

“There are numerous relationships that can exist between interviewee and interviewer in a one-to-one interview, from peer, friend, and counsellor to remorseless interrogator. In group interviews the situation is slightly different. The interviewer wants to allow free discussion and yet at the same time keep the thread moving in a particular direction so that the needs of the research design are met.”

Watts & Ebbutt, 1987: 28-29

Although researchers cannot change their own identities, it is important to be aware of how others may perceive the interviewer. For example, adults interviewing children are inherently in a position of relative power (especially in a school context where an adult is seen to have the approval and support of the teacher). However there are other important factors:

"The formation and development of relationships between respondents and ourselves were influenced, as is always the case, by myriad factors, including gender, ethnicity, and differential backgrounds, occupations, and perceived status."

Warren & Vincent, 2001: 41

(Consider, for example, research undertaken by outside researchers within indigenous communities)

Sources cited:

• Limerick, Brigid, Burgess-Limerick, Tracey & Grace, Margaret (1996) The politics of interviewing: power relations and accepting the gift, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 9 (4), pp.449-460.
• Warren, S., & Vincent, C. (2001). "This won't take long…": Interviewing, ethics and diversity. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 14(1), 39-53. doi: 10.1080/09518390010007674
• Watts, M., & Ebbutt, D. (1987). More Than the Sum of the Parts: Research Methods in Group Interviewing. British Educational Research Journal, 13(1), 25-34.