Topic 3- Interviews Flashcards
(11 cards)
What are interviews and who is in favour of them?
A social interaction you can do face to face or over the phone. Favoured by interpretivists
What are the 4 types of interviews?
- Structured/ formal- Same questions asked in each interview. Close ended questions
- Semi structures- Further questions can be asked if necessary
- Unstructured/ informal- More like a guided conversation
- Group- People bounce ideas off of eachother
What are practical, ethical and theoretical strengths of structured interviews?
P- training - these interviews are straightforward as all you have to do is read from a set of questions
E- Detachment- No one will be as impacted by ethical issues such as becoming too close with the participants
T- Response rate- high response rate making it more representative
What are practical, ethical, and theoretical weaknesses of structured interviews?
P- Inflexibility- Questions are drawn up in advance with no area of change
E- Sensitive questions- No opportunity to establish rapport due to detachment
T- Validity- No freedom to expand further on answers
How do feminists criticise structured interviews?
Graham (1983) argues structured interviews are patriarchal and give a distorted view of womens experiences. This is because the researcher is in control of the situation and decides the questions. Mirroring womens subordination in wider society
What are practical, ethical and theoretical strength of unstructured interviews?
P- Flexibility- More opportunity to go into deeper areas of interest
E- Rapport & Sensitive- Rapport is able to be established so the interviewer can encourage the interviewee to open up
T- Checking understanding- The questions ca be explained if they are not understood.
What are practical, ethical and theoretical weaknesses of unstructured interviews?
P- Interpersonal skills- Interviewer needs good interpersonal skills to establish rapport
E- Harm- Distressing/ intrusive questions could be asked
T- Reliability- Hard to replicate and make comparisons
What is the difference between a group interview and a focus group?
Group- Researcher interviews several participants at the same time
Focus groups- People are free to talk to one another as well as the researcher
Advantages of group interviews:
- Feel more comfortable amongst peers so more likely to open up
- Throw ideas around the group stimulating others ideas producing more valid data
Disadvantages of group interviews:
- One or two individuals could dominate the discussion preventing others from voicing their opinion.
- Much depends on the researchers ability to keep the group focussed
What evidence did Dobash and Dobash get about ethical strengths of unstructured interviews?
Used unstructured interviews to research domestic violence and found they built a rapport with the interviewees who then felt comfortable discussing issues.
