interviews Flashcards
what are the 4 types of interviews
unstructured
structured
semi-structed
group
what are structured interviews
interview that follows a list of pre-set questions
interviewees choose from a limited list of possible answers
usually done face to face or over the phone
usually consist of mainly closed ended questions which creates quantitative data
favoured by positivist
what are unstructured interviews
ask mainly open ended questions ands there is no fixed set to ask every person
produce qualitative meaningful data
guided by the interviewee as well as the interviewer
free flowing so similar to a natural conversation
a strong relationship is built between the interviewer and the interviewee
favoured by interpretivists
what are semi-structed interviews
set of questions to be asked
interviewer is able to ask additional questions in response to the answers they are given
what are group interviews
up to a dozen people may be interviewed together as a group
a topic is given to be discussed but the group are free to react to what each other are saying
what are weaknesses for interviewers
interviewer bias
artificiality - not a natural conversation and so truthful answers may not be gained
status and power inequalities- the bigger the status difference the less valid the answers for example adult interviewing a young child - child wats to please adult
cultural differences - can lead to misunderstanding
social desirability - people want to be liked and so may adjust answers to ensure they are
ethical issues - people may feel pressured to answer something they dont want to
what are strengths of structured interviews
reliable because they use a fixed list of questions so it can be easily repeated by another interviewer
relatively quick to conduct which means the interviewer can get a large sample
cheapest form of interview
response rate is usually high people find it harder to turn down a face to face invite to participate
what are the weaknesses of structured interviews
lack validity because the questions are predetermines so may not fit what the interviewee actually thinks
employing interviewers incurs a cost
not useful for many situations example- sensitive subjects
social interaction between the interviewer and interviewee may affect the answers given reducing validity
what are strengths of unstructured interviews
they are informal so participants are more likely to open up
because questions aren’t fixed there’s less chance of ideas being imposed and it allows for understanding to be checked
interviewers can add questions in to explore specific answers further
what are weaknesses of unstructured interviews
not reliable at all
too much data
not always relevant
employing interviewrs can be expensive
