research methods: interviews Flashcards
how can interviews be used?
they can be used in a survey if it can be administered to a large sample of people relatively easily. this is more likely if it is a structured interview.
what are the three types of interviews?
structured, semi-structured, unstructured
how is a structured interview done?
- set questions that cannot change
- pre-determined
- standardised: same set of questions for every ppt
what are the strengths of structured interviews?
- can be easy to replicate
- easier to analyse then unstructured as answers are more predictable
- interviewer can provide extra information, e.g explaining what a particular question means
what are the weaknesses of structured interviews?
- the interviewers’ expectations may influence the answers the interviewee gives (researcher bias)
- ppts may feel reluctant to reveal personal information when face-to-face with an interviewer. therefore may lack depth.
how is a semi-structured interview done?
- interview that contains some pre-determined questions and some questions developed in response to answers given
what are the strengths of a semi-structured interview?
- conversation flows so can achieve research aim and can get relevant information, more in-depth
- can access information that may not be revealed by predetermined questions
- can gather qualitative and quantitative data
what are the weaknesses of semi-structured interviews?
- more subjective
- may still lack some depth
how is an unstructured interview done?
- starts off with the same topic and everything else is based off what the ppt responds with
- more like a conversation
what are the strengths of unstructured interviews?
- in-depth and detailed responses
- can access information that may not be revealed by predetermined questions
- can gather qualitative data
- can uncover unexpected findings
what are the weaknesses of unstructured interviews?
- more affected by interviewer bias than structured interview as the interviewer is developing questions on the spot and may be prone to issues such as inadvertently asking leading questions.
- requires well trained interviewers, which may be difficult to obtain and makes the research more expensive.
- subjectivity when analysing data.
what do interviewers need to avoid and what do they require to do?
interviewers need to avoid judgemental questions and need to have good listening skills.
what is researcher effects within interviews? give example
when asking people questions, there are many interviewer characteristics that can influence the respondent; sex, age, manner and personality of the interviewer can all affect how a person responds, whether they are truthful, and whether they disclose information at all. is it therefore important to predict what characteristics might influence respondents and control them.
e.g you can predict that a male interviewer will be unlikely to obtain detailed information from a female ppt about their view of marriage. this can be controlled by employing a female interviewer.
strengths of interviews: reliability
- the more structured an interview is, the more reliable it is. interviews also become more reliable when the interviewers are trained to ask questions in the same way and the interview can be repeated by a second interviewer (test-retest reliability). if the interview is recorded, it can be checked by other raters (interview-rater reliability)
weaknesses on interviews: reliability
reliability is achieved by standardised procedures making sure everyone gets asked the same questions, worded the same way, in the same order. this is not possible in structured or semi-structured interviews.
