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1 Introduction
The research interview, one of the most important qualitative data collection methods, has been widely used in conducting field studies and ethnographic research. Even when it is not the primary method of data collection in a quantitative study, the interview method is employed often as a pilot study to gather preliminary data before a survey is designed. Given the wide application of interviews in research, there has been an extensive literature on the interview method focusing on a range of topics and issues, including different types of interviews ([22] Goldman and McDonald, 1987; [38] McCracken, 1988), strengths and limitations of the method, and various techniques and general advice in conducting "effective" interviews ([11] Douglas, 1985; [16] Fontana and Frey, 1998; [33] Kvale, 2007). Although this stream of research offers great benefits for qualitative researchers, there is a danger of simplifying and idealizing the interview situation based on the assumption that interviewees are competent and moral truth tellers "acting in the service of science and producing the data needed to reveal" their experiences (feelings, values) and/or the facts of the organization under study ([2] Alvesson, 2003, p. 14).
Moreover, other quantitative researchers regard the empirical data produced by interpretive methods such as the interview as "unreliable, impressionistic, and not objective" ([10] Denzin and Lincoln, 2000, p. 12). To these researchers, interviews are regarded as nothing more than casual everyday conversations. However, in comparison to everyday conversations or philosophical dialogues, which usually place the participants on an equal footing, the research interview can be characterized by an asymmetry of power in which the researcher is in charge of questioning a more or less voluntary and sometimes naïve interviewee. Although it may seem that everyone can simply ask questions, interviews conducted in a casual manner with little preparation could lead to disappointing results, such as a wasted opportunity ([28] Hannabuss, 1996).
Therefore, conducting qualitative research interviews is not a trivial enterprise. It requires not only the use of various skills, such as intensive listening and note taking, but also careful planning and sufficient preparation. To collect interview data useful for research purposes, it is necessary for the researchers to develop as much expertise in relevant topic areas as possible so they can ask informed questions....