"I Don't Know What's Right Anymore": Engaging Distressed Interviewees Using Graphic-Elicitation

Authors

  • Geoff Kuehne University of Melbourne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-14.3.1909

Keywords:

graphic-elicitation, farmer interviews, Australia, rural sociology, climate change, beliefs, scepticism, interviews

Abstract

Graphic-elicitation appears to be a research method that potentially has much to offer, particularly so when working with distressed and disaffected groups. It can be especially suited to presenting contentious ideas with unwelcome implications to sceptical interviewees, in this case irrigation farmers who were questioning aspects of climate change. Five images were introduced in the course of conducting in-depth personal interviews. The interviews were recorded and analysed for recurrent themes related to the images. The graphic-elicitation method allowed some participants to preserve or build their sense of optimism by viewing the graphic-elicitation images in particular ways—they saw in them what they wanted to see. Encouraged by the images some attempted to transfer their felt responsibility toward climate change responses to the government and upstream irrigators by blaming them for their low water availability.

URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs130321

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Author Biography

Geoff Kuehne, University of Melbourne

Geoff KUEHNE is a social researcher working on understanding the influences on farmers' decision making other than a simple assumption of profit maximisation. He has conducted research examining farmers' beliefs about climate change and how those beliefs influence their actions. He has worked with irrigators in the cotton, wine, and dairy industries, often during turbulent periods of significant change resulting from collapses in commodity prices, government reforms, or changing societal expectations.

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Published

2013-07-29

How to Cite

Kuehne, G. (2013). "I Don’t Know What’s Right Anymore": Engaging Distressed Interviewees Using Graphic-Elicitation. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-14.3.1909

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Single Contributions