Advantage of using Structured interviews Flashcards
One advantage of structured interviews is the practicality of them. They are quick to conduct, as interviewers follow a set list of questions without needing to think of new ones on the spot. The use of mostly closed-ended questions allows for the rapid collection of straightforward factual data, such as age or occupation.
However, this speed comes at the cost of validity, as interviewees are restricted in their responses and unable to fully express their views, limiting deeper understanding.
Theoretically, structured interviews are objective because interviewers maintain detachment from interviewees, simply reading questions and recording answers without building rapport. This allows positivists to collect large amounts of quantitative data in a neutral manner.
However, interpretivists argue that the lack of rapport prevents researchers from gaining verstehen (empathetic understanding) and fails to capture interviewees’ true thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
Another advantage is reliability, as structured interviews follow a standardised procedure with fixed questions and response categories. This makes them easily replicable, allowing researchers to produce consistent results that positivists can use to establish social facts.
However, ensuring reliability comes with practical costs, as interviewers must be trained to follow the interview schedule precisely, which requires time and financial investment.
Finally, structured interviews also have high representativeness, as large samples can be gathered efficiently, and response rates are usually high. If the sample is representative, findings can be generalised to the wider population, making them useful for positivists seeking to establish laws in society.
However, representativeness may be compromised by self-selection bias, as those who agree to be interviewed may not be typical of the wider population, such as students, retirees, or those with strong opinions on the topic.
Conclusion
In conclusion, structured interviews offer significant advantages, particularly for positivist research. They are practical, quick, objective, reliable, and allow for large, representative samples. However, these strengths come with limitations, particularly from an interpretivist perspective, like the lack of depth, rapport, and flexibility reduces validity, making it difficult to uncover interviewees’ true thoughts and experiences.
