The final warning concerns the researcher's own investment in the subject. Strong interest can sustain a project, but it can also tempt an interviewer to lead participants or replace their answers with a preferred interpretation. Academic interviews and surveys gather evidence; trying to persuade or instruct the respondent corrupts that purpose. Researchers must listen and allow participants to state their own views. Otherwise, the project loses data quality and reliability.
Notable Point · 34:32-35:41
Researcher neutrality when the subject matters deeply
Passion for a topic cannot be allowed to override respondents’ answers: the researcher’s job is to listen, preserve what people say, and avoid inserting preferred conclusions into their evidence.