SOC 15 - Self reports - interviews (MET)

Question 1

What is an interview?

Answer 1

A ‘live’ encounter (face-to-face or on the phone) where one person (the interviewer) asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee’s thoughts and/or experiences. The questions may be pre-set (structured interview) or may develop as the interview goes along (unstructured interview)

Question 2

What is a structured interview?

Answer 2

• Also known as formal interview
• Are made up of a predetermined set of questions that are asked in a fixed/standardised order. It is like a questionnaire but conducted face-to-face (or over the phone/internet) in real time, i.e. the interviewer asks the questions and waits for a response
• The interviewer will not deviate from the interview schedule or probe beyond the answers received (so they are not flexible)
• These are based on structured, close-ended questions
• Produces quantitative data

Question 3

What is an unstructured interview?

Answer 3

• They are sometimes referred to as ‘discovery interviews’ or ‘informal interviews’
• It is like a guided conversation, there are no set questions. Some questions might be added/missed as the interview progresses. There is a general aim that a certain topic will be discussed, and interaction tends to be free flowing. The interviewee is encouraged to expand and elaborate their answers as prompted by the interviewer.
• Contain open-ended questions that can be asked in any order
• This produces qualitative data

Question 4

What is a semi-structured interview?

Answer 4

• There is a list of questions that have been worked out in advance, but interviewers are also free to ask follow-up questions based on previous answers
• The interviewer can deviate from the original questions and therefore this type of interview typically produces rich qualitative data
• Produces qualitative and quantitative data

Question 5

What are the strengths of structured interviews?

Answer 5

• Straight forward to replicated due to their standardised format
• The format also reduces differences between interviewers

Question 6

What are the limitations of structured interviews?

Answer 6

It is not possible, given the nature of the structured interview, for interviewers to deviate from the topic or explain their questions and this will limit the richness of the data collected as well as limit unexpected information

Question 7

What are the strengths of unstructured interviews?

Answer 7

• There is more flexibility in an unstructured than in a structured interview
• The interviewer can follow up points as they arise and is much more likely to gain insight into the worldview of the interviewee, including eliciting unexpected information

Question 8

What are the limitations of unstructured interviews?

Answer 8

• May lead to increased risk of interviewer bias
• Analysis of data from an unstructured interview is not straight forward. The researcher may have to sift through much irrelevant information and drawing firm conclusion may be difficult
• There is a risk that interviewees may lie for reasons of social desirability.
• However, a skilled and experienced interviewer should be able to establish sufficient rapport with the participant so that even when sensitive and personal topics are discussed, any responses given are more truthful

Question 9

What is social desirability bias?

Answer 9

• A tendency for respondents to answer questions in such a way that presents them in a better light
• So, answers are not genuine. They are based on lies, so don’t represent actual views or experiences
• Therefore, reducing validity

Question 10

How does social desirability bias link to population validity and volunteer sampling?

Answer 10

• Links to population validity and issues with volunteer sampling
• If only helpful, interested people respond, we are unable to gather views from other types of people, limiting generalisability of findings
• So, low population validity