The mentor's tale: a reflexive account of semi-structured interviews.
In this article, Helen Hand provides an account of personal experience as a novice researcher collecting data using semi-structured interviews. The data were collected as part of a study involving nurse mentors who had had the experience of mentoring and subsequently failing a student nurse. The paper emphasises the importance of reflexivity as a method of signposting to the reader 'what is going on' in the research process. In conclusion, it is suggested that creating the 'joint account' is a complex but worthwhile task, but that great skill is required by the researcher in order to participate in the construction of reality.
Hand
Helen
H
School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, UK.
D004506:Education, Nursing; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008611:Mentors; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000379:methods*; D036301:Qualitative Research