unstructured interviews Flashcards
unstructured interviews
research method that is similar to everyday conversation, open questions in an informal atmosphere. Questions are unlikely to be pre-set but researchers have a certain topic they wish to cover and gives interview some structure and direction
briefly explain Dobash and Dobash (1980) Violence against Wives study
study based on in-depth unstructured interviews with 109 women who had experienced physical abuse in the home
give 4 advantages of unstructured interviews
rapport and sensitivity: allows for trusting relationships to be established and helps to create empathy when discussing personal subjects.
questions can be explained, re-phrased and follow up questions can be asked to clarify matters.
flexibility: researcher can develop new ideas and hypothesis during the interview.
can explore unfamiliar topics: no need to have prior information on the topic, can be used as a starting point to develop ideas and speak about things that seem important. Therefore, more likely to gain insight and have higher levels of validity.
give 5 disadvantages of unstructured interviews
practical problems: sample size, training, interpersonal skills
representativeness: harder to make generalisations
reliability: not standardised, each interview is unique, difficult to replicate
quantification: open ended questions cannot be pre-coded, less useful for establishing cause and effect relationships that positivist look for.
validity: the interaction between the interviewer and interviewee can distort the data
give 5 potential issues with interviews as social interactions
interviewer bias
status differences
cultural differences
social desirability
ethical issues
why is it better to use interviews rather than questionnaires for researching students?
generally students have better verbal skills than written skills, so interviews are the more productive way.
what are 3 practical problems with researching students using unstructured interviews?
pupils tend to have a limited vocabulary and use words incorrectly so they tend to be more inarticulate and reluctant to talk.
students have a shorter attention span and poor memory retrieval so they may have more difficulty sticking to the point.
pupils read body language differently to adults.
what are 3 interviewer bias issues with researching students using unstructured interviews?
due to power inequalities between students and adults, pupils tend to see it in their own interests to lie, exaggerate and conceal information or seek to please when answering questions (lacks validity)
according to Bell pupils may see the researcher as a ‘teacher in disguise’
children are more likely than adults to change their original answer when the question is repeated because they think it must of been wrong.
what are 3 possible techniques that could make the interview more successful when interviewing students/children?
tolerate long pauses (allows children to think about what they want to say)
avoid leading questions (since children are more suggestible)
don’t interrupt the children’s answers.
briefly explain Labovs study on the language of black American children, that was a better solution to use instead of structured interviews.
used a more formal and structured interview technique that was a less successful approach since the children appeared tongue tied and linguistically deprived.
However when Labov adopted a more relaxed informal style (interviewer sat on floor and child was allowed a friend present) it brought a completely different response. Children opened up and spoke freely, showing they were competent speakers.
give 3 strengths of Willis’s use of a group interview to find out why working class boys formed subcultures and had the intention to fail at school and go into low-paid work
students may be more likely to participate as they have a friend/friends present (group)
less time consuming than individual interviews
high in validity (detailed answers can be given)
give 3 weaknesses of Willis’s use of a group interview to find out why working class boys formed subcultures and had the intention to fail at school and go into low-paid work
students or the school may not them to take part
students may struggle to understand the research (restricted language code)
students may put on a show in order to conform to the values and norms of their subculture (may reduce validity)
