Interviewing people with aphasia: Insights into method adjustments from a pilot study

Background: An increasing number of researchers are using qualitative methods to study the impact of aphasia. However, there is a paucity of published research outlining if and how qualitative interview methods are altered with participants with aphasia, and how potential modifications impact on the rigour of such research. Aims: In a qualitative, pilot study we investigated (1) What services do males in Victoria with mild chronic aphasia perceive could be provided by the Australian Aphasia Association? (2) How is qualitative in‐depth interviewing method altered to accommodate the communicative difficulties experienced by people with aphasia? This paper reports on the second aim. Methods and Procedures: A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted. Purposeful sampling was used to obtain four participants with mild chronic aphasia across the variables of geographical location and employment status at time of stroke. An interview guide was devised and refined with a fifth pilot participant. Interviews were videotaped to allow for transcription of total communication strategies and 20% of transcriptions were verified by an expert in aphasia. Outcomes and Results: When using the traditional open‐ended, non‐directive approach to qualitative interviewing, very little information was obtained from the pilot participant. The results from four further participants revealed that with participants with aphasia, the researcher is required to step out of the traditional role of the qualitative interviewer by altering questioning style, offering ideas to participants, and using supportive conversation techniques. Strategies used by participants require that interviews be videotaped so that the meaning of the total communication strategies used can be verified. Conclusions: Valuable data can be obtained from participants with aphasia when the interview method is altered appropriately to meet their communicative needs. The study highlights implications for enhancing rigour in qualitative interviews with people with aphasia.

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