4 Preparing your interview Flashcards
fully structured interviews
In fully structured interviews we use a standard set of questions for all interviews, like in a survey. So, the interviewer is fully in charge of the questions and often also of the different answer options.
fully unstructured interviews
In fully unstructured interviews we only have one lead question, but then leave it fully to the respondents to tell their own story. So the respondent is in charge of where the interview leads to.
Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviews have some structure, but at the same time are flexible and allow to be open for unforeseen issues or aspects and allow to probe deeper into the topic, and ask for explanations, examples and further elaborations et cetera. So the interviewer stays in charge but allows for a lot of influence by the interviewee.
Typically, these semi-structured interviews focus on gaining understanding and not just on fact-finding. They are also more focused on specific issues we are particularly interested in on the basis of our research questions and less in the full life stories of the interviewee.
Interview guide
In the interview guide, we list the topics we want to talk about, and we want to gain information about.
This is our shopping list of things we want to know, to be able to answer our research questions. We should put them in a logical order, even though in the interview itself you can be flexible.
To make sure that you really get in-depth information, you should also prepare possible follow-up questions and probes for each of the topics in your interview guide.
To make sure that the interview starts smoothly, it is recommended to prepare your introduction in advance. In the introduction, you should establish relationship and build rapport. You need to explain the aim of the interview, who you are and what you are doing, how you will deal with anonymity and that you will record the interview for your own records and of course how long the interview will last and what happens with findings.
You can also formulate some easy ice-breaking and warming-up questions to make sure that the interviewee feels comfortable from the beginning.
The same is also recommended for the closure of the interview. So you could end your interview with a cooling-off question, but at least do not forget to thank the interviewee for the contribution to your research. If you are still looking for other potential interviewees, you might also want to ask for possible candidates. Finally, always ask if you may contact the interviewee again, in case you have some further questions.
contacting the potential respondents and convince them to participate
First, do not plump on your potential participant with your invitation, give them the time to think about it. So it is recommended that you contact them in advance by sending them a written invitation by email or post. You can then excuse yourself for taking the freedom to contact them by phone in the next few days to make an appointment.
In this invitation, you tell what the interview is about, but also make sure that you stress the societal relevance of your research project and the way the interviewee could contribute to that. Underscore what use the results of your research could be for the interviewee, even if the contribution of your research is only very small and may be very indirectly of use for the interviewee. Note how important the contribution of the interviewee to your research is, for example by emphasizing their expertise or special position of the interviewee for your research. By doing all this you frame the participation in a very positive way. Finally, of course, also mention that you promise to communicate the results of your research and of course also mention the time needed.
