(7) UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Question 1

Name some Characteristics of UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Answer 1

• Interviewer is FREE to VARY the Questions, Wording or Order
• Can Persue whatever line of questioning they wish
• Can Produce Rich, Detailed QUALITITATIVE data
• INTERPRETIVISTS

Question 2

What are 4 PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES of UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Answer 2

(1) CHECKING UNDERSTANDING - make it Easier for Interviewees to check they have Understood each others meanings. Questions can be Explained, and if an Interviewer Doesn’t Understand an Answer they can Use Follow Up Questions to Clarify
(2) FLEXIBILITY - interviewer Isn’t Restricted to a Fixed Set of Questions, can explore what’s Interesting/Important
(3) EXPLORING UNFAMILIAR TOPICS - allow you to Learn As you are Going Along, can be a Starting Point
(4) INTERVIEWER can DEVELOP a RAPPORT - More Likely to be Honest

Question 3

What are 2 PRACTICAL DISADVANTAGES of UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Answer 3

(1) QUANTIFICATION - they Produce a Lot of Data which can Take Time to Transcribe. There are No Pre Coded Questions, making Analysis and Categorisation of data time Consuming and Difficult
(2) PRACTICAL PROBLEMS -
-TIME - take time often several hours each. This LIMITS the Number
that can be CARRIED OUT therefore the SAMPLE will be SMALL
-TRAINING is Needed for Interviewers. They need a Background
in sociology or they won’t recognise sociologically important
issues and probe further with appropriate questioning
- INTERPERSONAL SKILLS - so they can establish the Rapport
that is Essential for full and honest answers

Question 4

What are 4 THEORETICAL ADVANTAGES for Interpretivists of UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Answer 4

(1) VALIDITY - by developing a Rapport, research can see the world through their eyes and Appreciate What is Important to Them and Why they Act in the Way they do
(2) GROUNDED THEORY - they believe it’s IMPORTANT to APPROACH RESEARCH with an OPEN MIND, otherwise we are UNLIKELY to DISCOVER the TRUTH about the situation or the actors meanings. By developing grounded theory, they mean We Should BUILD UP and MODIFY our HYPOTHESIS DURING THE RESEARCH itself, Based on the Facts We Discover.
(3) THE INTERVIEWEE’S VIEW - the ABSENCE of PRE SET QUESTIONS GIVES the INTERVIEWEE FREEDOM to RAISE ISSUES and discuss WHAT’s IMPORTANT
(4) RAPPORT and SENSITIVITY - their Informatlity ALLOWS the INTERVIWER to DEVELOP a REPORT

Question 5

What are 4 THEORETICAL DISADVANTAGES for Positivists of UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS

Answer 5

(1) RELIABILITY - not reliable as they’re NOT a STANDARDISED Measuring Tool. All Interviews are UNIQUE. It’s virtually IMPOSSIBLE to REPLICATE INTERVIEWS
(2) REPRESENTATIVENESS - say SAMPLE SIZES are TOO SMALL to produce representative data therefore generalisations cannot be made
(3) LACK OF VALIDITY - say the Interaction between the researcher and interviewee distorts the information obtained. Analysing data involves the Researcher Making Value Judgments about the meanings of answers. Rather than giving us a Valid Picture of Social Life, unstructured interviews merely give us a picture as seen Through the Eyes of the Sociologist

Question 6

FEMINSIM