A qualitative method of collecting data: Thematic interview

The method of collecting data should be chosen after a careful consideration of which approach could clarify the issues being studied the most (Hirsjärvi et al 2009:137).

Examining identity is challenging because the process does not have a clear starting or ending point but is rather a constantly alternating phenomenon and, most importantly, a very personal experience. Therefore, it was important to choose a method which would posit the adult language learner and one´s personal experiences in the first place.

According to Hirsjärvi et al (2009:164), qualitative research is in favor of methods

where the participant´s own perspectives and voice can be heard and thus, it was thought that data collection through qualitative methods could provide more valuable information for the present study than what quantitative methods could have offered. The choice of a qualitative approach was also justified with the present study´s aim which was to gather realistic and truthful information about language learning and its effects on the learners. According to Hirsjärvi et al (2009:161), qualitative research strives to depict reality as it is, namely multifold. Reality consists of multiple phases that cannot be distinguished from each other since the actions are in constant dialogue.

Thus, the purpose of the qualitative research is to provide as comprehensive picture of the studied theme as possible and collect data in natural, realistic conditions (Hirsjärvi et al 2009:160-161).

In qualitative research there are various options to collect data, of which interview is one of the most used. Interview´s greatest advantage from the perspective of the present study is the role of the interviewee as a meaning creating and active participant, a subject, who is able to share one´s opinions freely (Hirsjärvi and Hurme 2014:35).

Thus, in interviews the focus is on people´s personal impressions of themselves. Patton (2002:4) agrees that interviews “yield direct quotations from people about their experiences, opinions, feelings, and knowledge.” After having mentioned the complexity of identity, interviews are used especially when the topics are hard to study or sensitive in their nature (Hirsjärvi and Hurme 2014:35). There are also differentiating opinions considering this point, since it may sometimes be harder to share very personal and emotional experiences face-to-face with a stranger. Nevertheless, interviewing has many other advantages as well. Firstly, interviews are flexible; it is possible and even recommended to change the order of the questions or to make new or more accurate questions after hearing something interesting (Hirsjärvi and Hurme 2014:36). Secondly, when interviewing, it is easier to motivate the participant to answer the questions than when using a questionnaire (Hirsjärvi and Hurme 2014:36). The interviewer´s examples or help in defining some of the questions, for instance, may assist the interviewee to say something that one would not have brought up without motivating. The use of interviews is also supported by previous studies about identities in the language learning context, such as, Norton (2000), Kinginger (2004) and Block (2008). In addition to oral interviews, written material, such as, essays and journals have commonly been used to gather data about identity. Because of the schedule of the present study, only interviews

were chosen, even though journals, for instance, could have given more depth and clarity to the understanding of the identity process.

Interviews can be divided into three main categories that are structured form interviews, thematic interviews and open ended interviews (Hirsjärvi et al 2009:208-209). The interview type used in the present study was thematic interview which combines characteristics from both of the form based and open ended interview. Thematic interviews consist of one or various beforehand selected and prepared themes, but the questions themselves are not accurately formed or put in a certain order, which helps in highlighting the interviewee´s own voice (Hirsjärvi et al 2009:208, Hirsjärvi and Hurme 2014:48). However, to ensure that the interviews produce requisite information, it is crucial also to draft and go through some questions before the interview takes place (Hirsjärvi and Hurme 2014:103). Taking this into account, a list of questions was carefully drafted beforehand as a frame for the interviews in the present study.

The interview questions consisted of three parts, excluding the first two questions which dealt with the interviewee´s age and educational backgrounds. The first part focused on the learner´s language studies and language experiences in the past. The questions dealt with their language repertoire, overall experiences of and attitudes towards learning foreign languages and estimation of language skills after secondary, upper-secondary or vocational school. The second, and the most meaningful part of the interview, consisted of questions about the learner´s present language studies and experiences at the Adult Education Centre. The questions ranged from reasons for starting to learn a language to listing down positive and negative experiences that they had confronted during their learning process. Most importantly, the interviewees were asked to describe themselves as language learners and to consider whether they had noted any changes in themselves during their language learning process. The third and final part of the interview strove to discover how the learners would see themselves and their language studies in the future.

The interviewees were first asked to think how the language would overall utilize them in the future and then to describe themselves in a few years’ time as language users. The draft of the interview questions can be found in the Appendices (Appendix 1).

The greatest challenge in drafting the structure of the interview related to the difficulty of the studied topic. Because identity is a complex, changing, and most of all, a very personal experience, it was challenging to come up with questions that would capture

the essence of the learners´ identities. It was also an intentional decision not to mention the word identity in the interview, unless the interviewee him/herself brought it up during the conversation. The purpose of using every-day language and avoiding academic expressions, including words such as identity, was to keep the conversation as relaxed as possible which again would produce natural, more truthful data of the learners´ personal experiences. Avoiding academic language also helps in the actual understanding of the questions, and should thus be taken into account when forming interview questions (Kvale 1996:132, Hirsjärvi and Hurme 2014:105). Because of the complexity of the topic and the fact that everyone studied a different foreign language, the interviews were held in Finnish.