Interpretive research with vignettes: an innovative method for situational analysis

Katharina Miko-Schefzig

Chapter 19 in Handbook of Interpretive Research Methods in the Social Sciences, 2025, pp 290-308 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter explores the use of vignettes in interpretive research and their valuable potential for data generation, analysis, and presentation. Vignettes are brief situational descriptions used as prompts in interviews to elicit in-depth responses and interpretations. The method is quickly gaining significance in interpretive research, not least due to its ability to replicate “natural” social interactions. The chapter discusses the versatility of vignettes as helpful tools in individual and group interviews, while highlighting their relevance in fields in which heterogeneous or conflicting groups are present. The focus is placed on the systematic construction and typification of vignettes. This concentration intends to facilitate comprehension of intersubjectivity across diverse areas. Additionally, I examine the integration of vignettes into a variety of elicitation methods, such as network analysis and visual analysis. Overall, vignettes help introduce social complexity into interpretive data collection and offers diverse analytic possibilities for a reflexive research practice.

Keywords: Vignettes; Focus groups; Situational research; Transformation; Interviews; Subjectivation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781803926384
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