1.5.1 Unstructured interviews

Question 1

Unstructured are more like a

Answer 1

guided conversation. The interviewer has complete freedom to vary the questions from respondent to respondent, so they can follow whatever lines of enquiry they think are most appropriated, depending on the responses given by each respondent

Question 2

Unstructured interviews are regarded by interpretivist sociologists as a naturalistic - method – this means that

Answer 2

people are usually interviewed in their natural environment and the sociologist records their normal everyday thoughts and behaviour by getting inside their heads and seeing the world through their eyes
===

This produces qualitative data focused on how they experience and feel about the world which they inhab

Question 3

Checking understanding

Answer 3

They can explain and if the interviewee doesn’t get the interviewee answe they can ask them follow up questions - to clarify