Chapter 8 Structured interviewing Flashcards
One Goal/ benefit of Structured interviews
the interviewing of respondents becomes STANDARDIZED so that differences between interviews in any research project are minimized
What is a structured interview?
A structured interview, sometimes called a standardized interview entails the administration of an interview schedule by an interviewer. The aim is that each respondent receives exactly the same interview stimulus as any other. The goal of this style of interviewing is to ensure that interviewees’ replies can be aggregated. This type of interview is preferred due to its standardization benefits.
(A structured interview is a quantitative research method commonly employed in survey research. The aim of this approach is to ensure that each interview is presented with exactly the same questions in the same order)
One benefit of standardization
Reducing errors due to variability. –> The more standardized the questions and recording of answers the more the variation in people’s replies will be due to ‘true’ or ‘real’ variation and not due to the interview context
What are the two components of variation
true variation and error. In other words:
variation = true variation + variation due to error.
Common sources of error in survey research
- a poorly worded question;
- the way the question is asked by the interviewer;
- misunderstanding on the part of the interviewee;
- memory problems on the part of the interviewee;
- the way the information is recorded by the interviewer;
- the way the information is processed, either when answers are coded or when data are entered into the computer.
What are the two ways in which variability due to error can occur?
- intra-interviewer variability (an interviewer is not consistent in the way he or she asks questions and/or records answers;)
- inter-interviewer variability (there are multiple interviewers and they are not consistent with each other in the ways they ask questions and/or record answers. )
Bonus: these two are not mutually exclusive but can coexist
What kind of questions do structured interviews contain?
most structured interviews contain mainly questions that are variously referred to as closed, closed ended, pre-coded, or fixed choice
Closed question
a limited choice of possible answers, limits the potential for interviewer variability & facilitate processing of data
Open question (disadvantages)
answers need to be sifted and coded in order for the data to be analysed quantitatively , laborious and introduces an error when it comes to the processing of data
coding frame
rules for assigning answers to categories
two sources of variability in the ways in which answers are categorized
intra-coder variability, whereby the coder varies over time in the way in which the rules for assigning answers to categories are implemented;
inter-coder variability, whereby coders differ from each other in the way in which the rules for assigning answers to categories are implemented.
Main benefit of closed questions
when compared to open questions, they reduce one potential source of error and are much easier to process for quantitative data analysis.
Major types of interview
Structured/ Standardized interview;
Semi-structured interview
Unstructured interview / Intensive interview
Qualitative interview
In-depth interview
Focused interview.
Focus group
Group interview
Oral history interview
Life history interview
Semi-structured interview
typically refers to a context in which the interviewer has a series of questions that are in the general form of an interview schedule but is able to vary the sequence of questions
Unstructured interview / Intensive Interview
The interviewer typically has only a list of topics or issues, often called an interview guide or aide-mémoire, that are covered. The style of questioning is usually informal. The phrasing and sequencing of questions will vary from interview to interview.
Qualitative interview
it is a general term that embraces interviews of both the semi-structured and unstructured kind
In-depth interview
this one sometimes refers to an unstructured interview but more often refers to both semi-structured and unstructured interviewing.
Focused interview
refer to an interview using predominantly open questions to ask interviewees questions about a specific situation or event that is relevant to them and of interest to the researcher.
Focus group
This is the same as the focused interview, but interviewees discuss the specific issue in groups.
group interview
Some writers see this term as synonymous with the focus group, but a distinction may be made between the latter and a situation in which members of a group discuss a variety of matters that may be only partially related.
Oral history interview
This is an unstructured or semi-structured interview in which the respondent is asked to recall events from his or her past and to reflect on them
life history interview
This is similar to the oral history interview, but the aim of this type of unstructured interview is to glean information on the entire biography of each respondent
different interview types
- archetype: one interviewer, face to face
- more than one interviewer
- by telephone
important points in conducting interviews
- know the schedule
- Introduce the research
- Rapport = establish a relationship that encourages the respondent to want to participate
- Asking questions: be as structured and standardized as possible
- recording answers
- Clear instructions
- Question order: standardization –> keep the same order
- Avoid Probing: the interviewer’s intervention may influence the respondent and the nature of interviewers’ interventions may differ.
- Avoid Prompting
- Leaving an interview: thank the respondents, don’t divulge more information about the research
- training and supervision: in contacting respondents, reading out questions and recording answers, using appropriate probing, maintaining an non biased interview style
4 Methods used in business and management research as part of either the structured or the semi-structured interview
- critical incident method;
- projective methods, pictorial and photo elicitation;
- verbal protocol approach;
- repertory grid technique.
Critical incident method
involves asking respondents to describe critical incidents. = any observable human activity where the consequences are sufficiently clear as to leave the observer with a definite idea as to their likely effects.
Projective methods, pictorial and photo elicitation
involve the presentation of ambiguous stimuli to individuals, which are interpreted by the researcher to reveal underlying characteristics of the individual concerned. Ex: inkblot tests
Photo elicitation (Key concept 8.11)
This method involves integrating photographs into the interview by asking the respondent questions about photographs that the researcher has taken of the research setting
Verbal protocol approach
The approach involves asking respondents to ‘think aloud’ while they are performing a task.
Repertory grid technique
based on G. A. Kelly’s (1955) personal construct theory, and it is used to identify the interpretative processes whereby an individual constructs meaning in relation to his or her social context. The theory portrays the individual as a scientist, striving to make sense of his or her environment in order to predict and cope with future events.
Sequential triadic method
The first stage in developing a repertory grid involves the researcher, sometimes together with the participant, identifying a number of (usually between six and twelve) elements, which are terms or categories that are deemed relevant to the subject of study—they may be persons, events, or objects. These elements are then written on cards and presented to the respondent, typically in groups of three. The researcher then asks questions that encourage respondents to express how they see the relationship between these elements, such as: ‘In what way are two similar?’ or ‘How does one differ?’ The process is then repeated with another three cards, until eventually a picture is built up about how the person construes his or her particular context.
Problems with structured interviewing
- Characteristics of interviewers :
There is evidence that interviewers’ attributes can have an impact on respondents’ replies - Response sets
- The problem of meaning: when humans communicate they do so in a way that not only draws on commonly held meanings but also simultaneously creates meanings.
- The feminist critique: from the perspective of feminism, when women interview women, a wedge is hammered between them that, in conjunction with the implication of a hierarchical relationship between the interviewer and respondent, is incompatible with its values.
Response sets
‘irrelevant but lawful sources of variance’, The idea of a response set implies that people respond to the series of questions in a consistent way but one that is irrelevant to the concept being measured. there are 2 types: acquiescence and social desirability bias
Acquiescense
refers to a tendency for some people consistently to agree or disagree with a set of questions or items.
Social desirability bias
refers to evidence that some respondents’ answers to questions are related to their perception of the social desirability of those answers
