The Appreciative Qualitative Interview: A Research Method for Empowering People

Abstract

This article introduces the Appreciative Qualitative Interview, a qualitative research technique grounded in Appreciative Inquiry, Social Constructionism, and the narrative turn in psychology. The Appreciative Qualitative Interview emphasizes positive, strength-based questioning to elicit more empowering personal and collective narratives from participants in qualitative research studies. The aim is to uncover and amplify participants' successes, strengths, and aspirations, thereby facilitating a more generative, enabling, and transformative research process. This tutorial article provides a detailed interviewing blueprint for conducting Appreciative Qualitative Interviews, including opening, core, and closing questions. While acknowledging the challenges of overemphasizing positivity, the article highlights the value of this approach within an action research and social constructionist epistemology.