Потенциал использования параданных в качественных исследованиях (на примере полуструктурированных интервью)

Мониторинг общественного мнения: Экономические и социальные перемены. 2025. № 2. С. 126–144.

Popov D.

This article is aimed at assessing the potential of using paradata in conducting qualitative research using the example of semi-structured interviews. The main difference between data collection in qualitative and quantitative research lies in the degree of formalization of this process: in qualitative research, it is much more difficult to take into account the entire context of the research, since it is more variable, while its impact on research results is greater. The use of paradata makes it possible to formalize the details of the context of a particular interview. Based on an analysis of the literature on paradata collection in sociological research, the author identifies five types of paradata: observations of the interviewer, information about the device used to participate in the survey, data on behavior during the questionnaire filling process, data on interviewers and efforts in the data collection process (level-of-effort), verbal and physiological data. Further, these types of paradata are adapted to being collected during semi-structured interviews by translating them from a quantitative to a qualitative paradigm. As a result, there are four types of paradata that can be collected in semi-structured interviews: the interviewer's observations about data collection, paradata about interviewers and their efforts in the data collection process, paradata about the informant's behavior during the interview and paradata about the device used for the interview. These types are accompanied by examples of paradata from the author's field diary and by ways of their use in the research. It is shown that the inclusion of paradata in the interview method can allow for a more detailed reflection of the context of data collection, which, in turn, increases the validity of the obtained results. It is noted that all these types of paradata represent a formalized interviewer's reflection on various aspects of a particular interview, expressed through notes in a field diary. It is emphasized that the use of paradata may be a promising approach in qualitative research. 

Keywords: сбор данных, методология качественных исследований, параданные, paradata, paradata collection, сбор параданных, data collection, semi-structured interview, methodology of qualitative research, полуструктурированное интервью