4.2 Comparing interviews

Qualitative research is about the nature of the thing investigated, and often involves the collection and interpretation of data that tends to be words rather than numbers.

There are two interviews for you to listen to. The sociologist Amitai Etzioni believed that comparison serves to increase our ‘scope of awareness’ (1969, p. vi). For this reason, you should examine and compare the two interviews. You may need to listen to the audios several times, and you may find it helpful to ‘pause’ to listen more carefully at each one.

In many parts of the world, primary school completion rates for girls are lower than for boys. This has an ongoing impact on girls’ education, health and opportunities for employment. The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is a major funder of development-focused research across the globe. DFID has prioritised funding for the education of girls in developing countries.