Open AccessProximity to Power: The Challenges and Strategies of Interviewing Elites in Higher Education Research
Author(s) -
Kirk McClure,
Jon McNaughtan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4615
Subject(s) - interview , scholarship , elite , qualitative research , context (archaeology) , sociology , higher education , field (mathematics) , power (physics) , participant observation , public relations , engineering ethics , pedagogy , psychology , political science , social science , engineering , politics , paleontology , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , anthropology , pure mathematics , law , biology
Presidents, provosts, deans, and other upper-level administrators in higher education fit common definitions of “elites” in the context of qualitative research. Scholarship on methods specific to the field of higher education has not identified or described the unique challenges of interviewing these and other elites. The purpose of this paper is to examine challenges and share strategies for elite interviewing, with specific application to qualitative research in the field of higher education. We provide three examples of empirical studies involving elite interviewing and, using literature from other fields, highlight challenges and strategies. By anticipating challenges and implementing these strategies, researchers can enhance the data collection experience and quality of data.