Self report interviews

Question 1

What is an interview?

Answer 1

A ‘real-time’ interaction where the interviewer asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee’s thoughts and/or experiences.

Question 2

What are the 3 types of interviews?

Answer 2

1. Structured
2. Unstructured
3. Semi-structured

Question 3

What is a structured interview?

Answer 3

Uses a pre-determined set of questions in a fixed order

Question 4

What is an unstructured interview?

Answer 4

There are no set questions- new questions are developed during the course of the interview based on the answers given.

Question 5

What is a semi-structured interview?

Answer 5

Uses a list of pre-determined questions but the interviewer is free to ask follow-up questions

Question 6

What is an interview schedule?

Answer 6

The list of questions that the interviewer intends to cover

Question 7

Why should the interview schedule be standardised?

Answer 7

To reduce the effect of interviewer bias

Question 8

What are the two advantages of a structured interview?

Answer 8

• Easy to replicate due to standardised format
• Easier to analyse as answers are more predictable

Question 9

What are the two disadvantages of using a structured interview?

Answer 9

• not possible for interview to deviate from the topic: possible frustration
• interviewer bias: a form of investigator effects where the interviewers expectations may influence answers

Question 10

What is the advantage of an unstructured interview?

Answer 10

• More flexibility can gain more insight into the world view of the interviewee

Question 11

What are the three disadvantages of an unstructured interview?

Answer 11

• interviewer bias: a form of investigator effects where the interviewers expectations may influence answers
• requires interviewer with skill as have to develop new questions on the spot= more expensive to produce
• difficult to draw firm conclusions from potentially irrelevant information