Abstract
This chapter offers a critical realist-informed perspective on the design of interviews in applied social science research including realist evaluation. It starts by profiling the key differences between the philosophies of critical realism and scientific realism (the basis of Pawson and Tilley's realist evaluation). After providing a rationale for a critical realist approach to social science research and interview method development, the chapter introduces five critical realist ‘ingredients’ to inspire the development of realist interviewing. It provides practical guidance on developing interview questions that will generate the rich ontological ‘deep’ data that will enable us to answer our realist-inspired research and evaluation questions.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Realist evaluation |
Subtitle of host publication | principles and practice |
Editors | Ana Manzano, Emma Williams |
Place of Publication | London ; New York |
Publisher | Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group |
Chapter | 12 |
Pages | 179-194 |
Number of pages | 16 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781003457077 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781032599786, 9781032599779 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2025 |