Structured Interviews (20)

Question 1

Interviews

Answer 1

A series of questions put by a researcher to a respondent
Primary Research Collection
Qualitative and Quantitative Data collection through the use of different approaches and questions

Question 2

Structured Interviews

Answer 2

Involves researcher asking a series of questions from an interview schedule
All respondents given the same set of questions in the same order
Usually closed so transcribing answers are straight forward as simple tick boxes and multiple choice answers
Quantitative Data so reliable
Sometimes Qualitative Data

Question 3

Reliability of Structured Interviews

Answer 3

Easy to replicate as a fixed set of closed Qs and tick boxes generates large amounts of quantitative data, that’s factual, easy to convert to groups to compare, easy to quantify to test for reliability
All asked the same Qs in the same manner potentially be the same interviewer. Regulated through the standardised procedure and no room for deviation from Q set

Question 4

Reliability Example (Health Survey)

Answer 4

Health Survey for England: Health of older people conducted 2,673 interviews with adults aged over 65
Asked standardised Qs about general health, alcohol, smoking and consumption of fruit and vegetables

Question 5

Representativeness of Structured Interviews

Answer 5

Quick and Easy method that can be replicated quickly and geographically as only the interviewer needs to be mobile to reach respondents
Easy to quantify, large representative sample on the fairly easy to simplify finding to apply to the general or target population
Large samples

Question 6

Representativeness Example (BCS)

Answer 6

British Crime Survey: Around 51,000 people interviewed. Including 47,000 adults aged 16 and over and 4000 aged 10 to 15. Response Rate of 76% which is the highest of a large continuous survey.
Various ages so applicable to the general population

Question 7

Validity of Structured Interviews

Answer 7

Is an artificial device that isn’t natural or normal part of everyday reality. So people respond with suspicion and so many only supply evasive, partial or false information
Interviewer bias. Undermines validity as they know the aim. Not measuring intention. Demand Characteristics caused by the interviewer unconsciously leading responses through tone of voice or looks of approval or disapproval
May react negatively in an interview because of social characteristics like age, gender, social class, ethnicity
Undermines ability to build rapport with respondent and therefore truthfulness of the answers
Inflexible. Schedules are pre-decided and must be stuck to rigorously

Question 8

Validity Example

Answer 8

Labov: Race of interviewer affected young black pupils in speech tests so the conclusion ended that they had inferior language skills (English) It didn’t reflect the reality.

Question 9

Practical Issues of Structured Interviewers

Answer 9

Can be conducted quickly because of pre-set Qs. 100,000 in a short amount of time
Better response rates than Questionnaires as the interviewer is there and getting the response straight away
Success depends on the interviewer’s skills and what people know about their own behaviour. Needs to be able to illicit behaviour from respondents
Self-report and dependant on memory
Costs of Interviewer and travel
Extensive planning needed which is time-consuming

Question 10

Feminists Perspective of Structured Interviews

Answer 10

Theoretical advantages of SI.

Provide space for critical reflection and interaction between interviewers and interviewee

Question 11

Positivists Perspective of Structured Interviews

Answer 11

Method is scientific.
Data is standardised.
Reliable, Objective and Quantifiable.

Question 12

Interpretivists Perspective of Structured Interviews

Answer 12

Makes it impossible to pursue any interesting leads that may emerge during the course of the interview
Closed Qs and category list responses suffer from an imposition problem
What interviewer thinks not the respondent
The researcher has mapped out responses by choosing options. May miss something important
Understanding ‘vernstien’ is more important than representatives

Question 13

Ethical Issues of Structured Interviews

Answer 13

Aims and objective of research can be explained and clarified. Address ethical concerns in person, straight away.
Consent and Right to withdraw.
Sensitive subjects may cause harm.
Confidentially improves accuracy.

Question 14

Conclusion

Answer 14

Despite imperfections, practicality and flexibility of interviewers make them attractive to interviewers.
Wildly used to save times and costs as funding issues
More personal than Questionnaires
Can be adjusted to semi-structured
Hammersly and Gomm: Interview data handled carefully and used in combination with other methods

Question 15

Townsend

Answer 15

This research was reported in Poverty in the United Kingdom and a key finding was that there were levels of income below which consumption and participation fell well below what might be seen as normal or acceptable in an increasingly affluent society. It was this group that was seen to be in poverty.

Question 16

Edgell, Middle-Class Couples (1980)

Answer 16

His data confirms the view that contemporary married life involves variations on the theme of the traditional sexual division of labour, which has not been significantly altered. Edgell locates this inequality in the dependence of the husband on his employment and the dependence of the household on the husband for financial support, and hence the dependence of the wife on the husband.