Interviews Flashcards
What are unstructured interviews?
Guided conversation, interviewer has freedom to vary questions, wording, order
Pursuing whatever line of questions seems appropriate at the time
What are structured interviews?
Interviews are conducted in the same standardised way every time, same order, tone
What are semi structured interviews?
each interview has the same set of questions but the interviewer can also probe for more information?
Cicourel & Kituse – always follow up their questions with how do you mean? as a way of gaining more information
What are group interviews?
dozens of people being interviewed together at the same time
Willis – study into lads and schooling
What are practical strengths of structured interviews?
- suitable fopr grathering straightforward/factual information
- results are easily quantified because they use close ended questions, makes them suitable for hypothesis testing favoured by positivists - can analyse trends and patterns/similarities
What is a strength for structured interviews in terms of resposne rate?
Generally have a high response reate - representative of population
Willmott & Young –research into extended families in east london, of the 987 people they approached to be interviewed, only 54 refused
What is a strength of structured interviews in terms of reliability?
Can be repeated and get same results
Reliable as they are easy for researchers to standardise and control
Same questions used/ can identify similarities and differences
Whats is a limitation of structured interviews in terms of inflexibility?
Structured interviews follow a fixed set of closed questions, which makes them rigid. They don’t allow the interviewer to probe further or follow up on interesting responses. This limits the depth and richness of data, especially when trying to understand complex social experiences. Interpretivists argue this leads to a lack of validity, as the full meaning behind answers can’t be explored.
What are feminist criticisms of structured interviews?
Graham criticises structured interviews as reflecting a male-dominated, hierarchical method of research. She argues that they impose the researcher’s framework onto participants, especially women, ignoring how women naturally communicate. The power lies with the (often male) interviewer, which can distort women’s experiences and silence their voices.
What are some advantages of unstructured interviews in terms of rapport?
The informal, conversational style puts people at ease, making them more likely to open up and share deep, personal experiences. This is especially useful when researching sensitive topics
Sociologist to support building rapport for unstructured interviews?
Dobash and Dobash – empathy and encouragement of the interviewer helped interviewees feel more comfortable when discussing personal topic they were investigating (domestic violence)
What is a strength of unstructured interviews in terms of flexibility?
- highly flexible, allowing the interviewer to adapt questions based on the interviewee’s responses
- clarify meanings, ask follow-up questions, and explore unexpected topics
- elps avoid misunderstandings and ensures the data collected is more valid and accurate
What are some limiations of unstructured interviews in terms of practicality?
- Unstructured interviews take a lot of time to conduct and analyse since they’re open-ended and detailed. - - - This means fewer participants can be interviewed, resulting in a smaller sample size, which makes it harder to generalise findings
What are some limiations of unstructured interviews in terms of interpersonal skills?
Interviewers need good interpersonal skills to build trust and encourage participants to open up. Not all researchers have this skill, so the quality of data can vary depending on the interviewer’s ability
What are 2 key limitations of all types of interviews in terms of social interaction?
- Differences in class, gender, ethnicity, or age between interviewer and interviewee can create power imbalances. The interviewee might feel uncomfortable or pressured to give socially acceptable answers instead of honest ones, reducing validity
- Interviewees may give answers that make them look good or fit social norms, especially on sensitive topics (e.g. crime, racism). This reduces validity because the responses might not reflect true beliefs or behaviours
Interviews in the context of education, access and response rate
Researchers usually need permission from senior staff before approaching teachers or students. Lower-status groups like pupils may be harder to access directly, and their participation may depend on adults’ approval, making access restricted and controlled
Interviews in the context of education, interviewer as ‘teacher in disguise’? (pupils)
- power and status inequalities between adults/children may see them as authority figures
- especially if research is conducted on school premises
- Ball; pupils may see interviewer as a ‘teacher in disguise’ may seek to ‘win approval’ by giving untrue, socially acceptable answers that show them in a favourable light making the research less valid as it is not reflective of their true opinions
Interviews in the context of education, interviewer as ‘teacher in disguise’? (w/c parents)
W/c parents may view the interviewer as having a higher status then them and may feel the questions are patronising and intrusive
