Interviews

Question 1

Interviews

Answer 1

• questionnaires may form the basis of interviews
• one of the most widely-used methods
• 2 main types - structured and unstructured
• can be conducted on individuals or small groups, face-to-face or over the phone

Question 2

Structured/formal interviews

Answer 2

• based on a structured pre-coded questionnaire (the interview schedule)
• closed questions in the same order each time

Question 3

Advantages of structured interviews

Answer 3

• generally the most effective way of getting questionnaires completed
• problems of illiteracy are overcome
• data is seen as reliable
• useful for obtaining answers to questions about facts (like age, gender etc)
• easy to put data into quantitative form
• less of an issue with interviewer bias compared to unstructured interviews

Question 4

Disadvantages of structured interviews

Answer 4

• the closed questions may impose limits of what the respondent can say
• limited depth of understanding
• not suitable for sensitive topics as they lack rapport
• more time consuming and expensive than self-completion questionnaires - may be a smaller sample
• possibility of interviewer bias

Question 5

Group interview definition

Answer 5

an interview in which the researcher interviews several people at the same time, with the researcher controlling the direction of the interview

Question 6

Focus group definition

Answer 6

a type of group interview in which the group focuses on a particular topic to explore in depth, and are free to talk to one another as well as the interviewer

Question 7

Unstructured/informal interviews

Answer 7

• like a guided conversation - topics to cover but no or few pre-set questions
• open-ended questions
• relaxed, informal situation
• may be done as a group interview or a focus group

Question 8

Example of using unstructured interviews - Oakley (1981)

Answer 8

• studied the experience of becoming a mother in British society

Question 9

Advantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 9

• more flexible so more validity as can ask for more explanation or clarification
• Oakley found that they allowed her to establish rapport
• ambiguities in questions and answers can be clarified
• a new hypothesis could emerge during the research as interviewers can change direction if new ideas or insights emerge
• interviewers may be able to assess the honesty and validity of replies
• group interviews (esp focus groups) can spark off discussions and ideas

Question 10

Example of developing a hypothesis during unstructured interviews - Bott (1957)

Answer 10

• interviewed 20 married couples in London
• created her theory of conjugal roles because of the link between social networks and conjugal roles which emerged during her interviews

Question 11

Disadvantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 11

• time-consuming and costly (potentially smaller sample size)
• may be less reliable as researchers are more involved
• difficult to replicate or compare with other research (findings are highly dependent on interviewer)
• difficult to compare and measure responses (sometimes interviewees may contradict themselves)
• group interviews may have issues with peer pressure
• interviewer bias is more of an issue than with structured interviews

Question 12

Semi-structured interviews

Answer 12

• most interviews include both structured and unstructured questions
• involve the strengths and weaknesses of both types of question

Question 13

General issues with interviews

Answer 13

• validity - people may be dishonest esp about sensitive topics or exaggerate
• words can have different meanings between social groups (eg wicked as cool or evil)
• members of different groups attach different importance to the content of questions (eg different cultural attitudes towards LGBTQ+ community may affect answers)
• interviewer bias

Question 14

Interviewer bias

Answer 14

• answers may be distorted or influenced by the presence or behaviour of the interviewer
• personal skills, dress, characteristics, tone of voice, facial expressions etc of interviewer can affect responses
• status differences may affect levels of honesty (eg if an adult is asking a child)
• interviewees might try to impress interviewers or tell them what they want to hear to obtain their approval

Question 15

Overcoming interviewer bias

Answer 15

• interviewers are trained to be non-directive and not offer opinions, show approval/disproval - need to show a polite indifference
• can try to match interviewers’ characteristics to interviewees - Nazroo (1997) translated questionnaires on health of minorities into 6 asian languages and respondents were interviewed by someone who spoke their language
• Becker (1970) suggests a more aggressive style of interviewing may get more valid responses eg playing the devil’s advocate to spark emotional responses
• could do over the phone interviews instead