Conversation as an interview method in research

Conversation is the essence of human interaction. From the research point of view, conversation can play an important role in data collection. It has a motivating power in eliciting qualitative data, particularly for those who use thematic analysis and grounded theory as a research approach. Conversational Analysis has provided significant insights about the function and structure of conversation as a linguistic acti vity. This chapter discusses the important role of conversation in research and it also examines the challenges facing researchers in thei r use of conversation as a data collection tool. Interview is one of the most commonly used methods of data collection in qual itative research. Conversation can be a powerful method for data collection. This chapter will discuss the advantages and challenges of using conversation in data research collection.