Methodology: Interviews Flashcards
What is an interview?
A one-to-one conversational questionnaire in which questions are asked by the interviewer and answered by the interviewee.
What is a key difference between and interview and a questionnaire?
A researcher must be trained in how to conduct interviews.
What are the two types of questions that can arise in an interview?
1) Closed
2) Open
Define ‘closed questions’.
A question that has a predetermined answer that produces quantitative data.
Give an example of a closed question.
“What is 2x2?”
Define ‘open questions’.
A question that has no set answer and is open to many responses that produces qualitative data.
Give an example of an open question.
“What is the meaning of life?”
How is an interview recorded?
The researcher often films or records the interview so that a transcript can be written up at a later date to analyse what is said.
Using an example, identify what might limit interviews as a research method.
Sensitive topics that may cause psychological distress for the interviewee, such as reliving an abusive childhood.
List the 3 different types of interviews.
1) Structured
2) Semi-structured
3) Unstructured
Define ‘structured interviews’.
A formal question and answer session that uses an interview schedule to follow a set number of questions, often using predetermined answers producing quantitative data.
Evaluate a generalisability point of structured interviews.
P - High
E - Can gain a large sample quickly due to the standardised nature
E - Therefore its easy replication allows for more to be conducted sooner
Evaluate a reliability point of structured interviews.
P - High
E - Follows a standardised set of questions that gain quantitative data
E - Easy to replicate and compare results
Evaluate 2 validity points of structured interviews.
P - High
E - Closed questions produce objective quantitative data
E - Therefore it is not open to interpretation or bias
P - Low
E - Lack of detail with mainly closed questions and predetermined answers
E - May not be a true representation of the respondents views
Evaluate 2 practicality points of structured interviews.
P - High
E - Less time is taken to ask questions and get answers
E - Quicker and easier to analyse
P - Low
E - Due to the set structure of questions they aren’t flexible
E - Therefore new questions cannot be asked to gain a deeper understanding of what the respondent said
Define ‘unstructured interviews’.
A guided conversation that often won’t use an interview schedule and doesn’t follow a set number of questions, producing qualitative data.
Evaluate a generalisability point of unstructured interviews.
P - Low
E - Longer to conduct and analyse answers
E - It takes more time to carry out and will be more expensive leading to a smaller sample
Evaluate a reliability point of unstructured interviews.
P - Low
E - No set questions with no interview schedule
E - Harder to replicate and compare answers if ppts go off topic
Evaluate 2 validity points of unstructured interviews.
P - High
E - More detail due to open questions allowing for qualitative data
E - Can gain more of an insight into the attitudes of respondents
P - Low
E - Analysing qualitative data from open questions can be subjective
E - Therefore researcher bias may reduce credibility of analysed results
Evaluate 2 practicality points of unstructured interviews.
P - High
E - There is more flexibility to ask different questions due to not using a set interview schedule
E - Therefore clarification of responses and more detail can be gained
P - Low
E - Analysing qualitative data from open questions
E - More time taken and costs more
Evaluate the ethics of unstructured interviews.
P - Low
E - Often covers sensitive issues (such as Adorno’s 1950 interview on ppts childhood who had high F-scores)
E - Can lead to psychological distress in ppts
What is the ‘interviewer effect’?
When certain characteristics of the interviewer can be received differently by different respondents, such as a female interviewee being more likely to open up to a female interviewer.
How would the interviewer effect alter the design of an interview?
The interviewer would need to account for these variables that may affect results:
- Gender
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Personal characteristics (e.g. clothing)
