interviews Flashcards
what are the different types of interviews
- structured
- unstructured
- group interviews
- semi structured
what are structured interviews
- these are set of standard questions asked by the researcher to the respondent
what are the advantages of structured interviews
- higher response rate than questionnaires
-its favoured by positivists
-high in reliability because of its standardized nature - which makes it easier to replicate
what are the disadvantages of structured interviews
- presence of the interviewer may cause people to give socially desirable answers (answers that do not reflect their true feelings)
- characteristics of the interviewer can interfere with results
what are unstructured interviews
free form interview method where the aim is to get the respondent to talk freely
advantages of unstructured interviews
The interviewee is a participant in the research. Feminists regard this as the strongest point of unstructured interviews.
-Respondent led – unstructured interviews are ‘respondent led’ – this is because the researcher listens to what the respondent says and then asks further questions based on what the respondent says. This should allow respondents to express themselves and explain their views more fully than with structured interviews.
-Rapport and empathy – unstructured interviews encourage a good rapport between interviewee and interviewer. they are more likely to make respondents feel at ease than structured interviews or questionnaires. This encourages openness, trust and empathy.
disadvantages of unstructured interviews
Respondents are asked different questions, so it is difficult to compare them,
-Low in reliability
-Interviewer bias weakens the validity of the interview. The interviewer’s body language, ways of phrasing certain questions, and reacting to them might influence the respondents’ answers
-They are time-consuming and costly.(Practical disadvantages)structured Interviews may take a relatively long time to conduct. Some interviews can take hours
-respondents may give answers they think the interviewer wants to hear, in attempt to please them
what are semi structured interviews
Here researchers are free to ask questions in any order and to phrase the questions as they think best
what are group interviews
where the researcher talks to a group of people at the same time,
name two advantages of semi-structured interviews
Allows you to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through one
method.
Respondent control may lead to greater depth and validity.
name two disadvantages of semi-structured interviews
Practical: costly and time consuming.
Dependent upon skill of the interviewer, ability to build rapport (a friendly relationship between the researcher and the subject)
Can be difficult/time consuming to analyse if there is a lot of qualitative
data generated
why do feminists prefer unstructured interviews
Feminist sociologists often use unstructured interviews, as they believe this format empowers their respondents and makes sure that their true voices are heard, unlike in the case of traditional, structured interviews.
In such conversational interviews, the hierarchy between researcher and subject disappears, and the people studied are also less likely to be exploited. According to feminists, women were especially exploited through traditional interviews, because the data collected was then misinterpreted and used against women’s interests.
