Topic 2: qualitative research methods Flashcards
what are structured interviews ?
formal, standardised and precisely same questions
what are unstructured interviews?
informal, guided conversation and group/focus group
what are semi structured interviews?
same set of questions in common, interview can probe more information
what are the practical advantages of structured interviews?
representativeness: can cover a large number of people e.g. Young and Willmott interviewed 933 people on families.
data useful for gathering factual info e.g. occupation, age, job
results easily are easily quantified
cost: training interviews is relatively straight forward.
response rates: high questions Young and Willmott only had 57/987 refusals
what are practical issues of structured interviews?
flexibility: inflexible because the schedule is drawn up in advance.
snapshots: only capture one moment in time
what are the ethical issues with structured interviews?
Harm: participants under no obligation to answer questions (green). however, (red) may feel under pressure to answer them. care to be taken to avoid psychological damage.
consent: needed before before the interview, guarantee, anonymity however, this can be difficult e.g. Brookman interviewing murderous vulnerable groups: kept brief and careful to avoid pressure
what are positivists theoretical advantages of structured interviews?
hypothesis testing: like questions, structured interviews can establish correlations and allow to make generalisations
reliability: a form standardised measuring instrument, replicate even tone. “recipe” for repeating research
representativeness: large samples means generations are more valid, however those willing to be an interview may be unrepresentative
what are interpretivists theoretical issues of structured interviews?
validity: normally use close-ended questions, forces interviewees to choose from limited answers
freedom: very clarity questions
lying: research imposing meanings by drawing up the interview schedule in advance
what are feminist theoretical issues of structured interviews?
exploitation: “research as rape” (Reinharz)- take, hit and run
masculinity: Oakley detached and masculine method, interviewees have passive role.
validity: interviews distort women’s experiences, don’t allow women to excess themselves
what are the practical issues of unstructured interviews?
Rapport: it allows researchers to develop a relationship of trust. useful for sensitive topics like abuse.
meanings: easier to check understanding
flexibility: not restricted to a set of questions, speak about what you think is important.
costs: interviewers need training, good interpretation skills
time: lengthy and time consuming, no recoded answers, categorising difficult.
what do interpretivist believe are the theoretical issues of unstructured interviews?
validity- see the world through the interviewees eyes, close people’s experiences.
grounded theory: Glaser and Strauss- build up and modify the hypothesis, during the actual research, allow us to ask whatever questions we like
what do interpretivists believe are the theoretical issues of unstructured interviews?
reliability: not a standardised measuring instrument, impossible to replicate.
quantification: less useful for testing cause and effect relationships.
representatives: take longer, smaller samples. Harder to make valid generalisations.
valid: relies on rapport. pleasing a friend. researchers makes value judgements to categorise answers
what do feminists suggest are the theoretical advantages of unstructured interviews?
Oakley: 178 unstructured interviews with new mums. attended births, helped with homework, phoned to help with research. Got closer to the woman’s experiences.
why do feminists criticise statistics ?
- criticise official statists for many reasons
- Graham and Oakley reject the use of quantitative survey methods such as structured interviews and questionnaires, regard this as a “masculine” or patriarchal model of research.
- official statistics created by the state, feminists regard as maintaining patriarchal oppression.
