research methods interviews

Question 1

What are interviews?

Answer 1

• Interviews are conversations between a researcher and a respondent about a certain topic of interest
• Range of questions, both open ended and closed and may or not follow a specific interview schedule

Question 2

What are the types of interviews?

Answer 2

• Structured interviews: face to face from a list of standerdised questions
• Semi-structured: face to face, some standardized questions but with the ability ask follow up questions
• Unstructured: face to face in less formal settings with themes to discuss, rather than set questions, giving researcher flexibility to take the interview in whichever direction they choose
• Group interviews/ Focus groups: can be structured, semi structured or unstructured

Question 3

What are the strengths of interviews?

Answer 3

• Higher response rate than questionnaires
• Can provide quantitative and qualitative data depending on structure of questions
• Can explain and clarify questions and develop a rapport with respondents to gain more valid responses
• Structured interviews can be repeated which means higher reliability

Question 4

What are the practical issues of interviews?

Answer 4

• Costly: training and recruiting of interviewers can be expensive
• Time: it can be time consuming to gain a representative sample and to transcribe and analyze findings
• Skill level: is required for interviewers varies depending on the structure of the interview

Question 5

What are the ethical issues of interviews?

Answer 5

• They can be useful for socially sensitive issues however they may cause respondents to recall paychologically upsetting memories
• Revealing information in group interviews may be distressing or have consequences
• Anonymity and confidentitality of responses need to be guarenteeded as could cause distress to respondents if their experiences