Dr. Andreas Witzel is a senior researcher in social sciences and lecturer for interpretative methodology since 1976 at the University of Bremen, now retired. His major research interests include qualitative methodology and methods, occupational socialization, biography and the life course. In his position as director of the Bremen Archive for Life Course Research, he pioneered the institutionalization of a central data archive for digital transcripts of qualitative interviews in Germany and the development of approaches to secondary analysis of qualitative data. He did extensive research on occupational status passages of young people and published widely on related issues. His methodological and methodical publications focus on qualitative interviews, methods of analysis, qualitative longitudinal research, and the combination of quantitative and qualitative data.

Introduction
The Programme of the PCI
Preparing PCIs
Doing PCIs
Processing PCIs
Examples of Working with PCIs
A Final Note on PCI Errors and PitfallS

This book provides the first English language account of the interview method known as the PCI. Offering a way of collecting knowledge by means of involving people actively in the research process, the interviewer takes the role of a well-informed traveller. With careful preparation and planning, the interviewer sets out with priorities and expectations, but the story the interviewer tells about his journey depends on the people encountered along the road.

Novice and experienced interview researchers across the social, educational and health sciences will find this an invaluable guide to conducting interviews.

Andreas Witzel is senior researcher (retired) at the University of Bremen and former director of the Bremen Archive for Life Course Research.

Herwig Reiter is senior researcher in the Department of Social Monitoring and Methodology of the German Youth Institute in Munich.