Mother/daughter intergenerational interviews: Insights into qualitative interviewing

Abstract

As part of a larger study examining the social history of the Well Child/Health and Development Record Book in New Zealand, mother-daughter intergenerational dyad interviews were undertaken. The inter-generational dyad interviews were utilised to explore why mothers often keep their children's Well Child/Health and Development Record Books (Plunket Books) well beyond the five years of age that the Well Child Nurse stops visiting. Mother-daughter intergenerational dyad interviews are not a commonly used method of interview but can elicit valuable information that may otherwise be overlooked. This article discusses the method with which the interviews were undertaken and argues that successful construction of mother/daughter intergenerational dyad interviews is the result of a combination of context and the resulting interaction between the mother, daughter and interviewer/researcher.