Unstructured Interviews - PERVERT Flashcards
Practical factors
Strengths: Unstructured interviews offer flexibility in questioning and probing, allowing researchers to explore topics in depth and adapt the interview format to the participant’s responses.
Weaknesses: However, unstructured interviews can be more time-consuming and challenging to analyse compared to structured interviews. Researchers may struggle to maintain focus and consistency across interviews.
Ethical factors
Strengths: Unstructured interviews prioritize participant autonomy and allow for open-ended dialogue, promoting a more collaborative and respectful interaction between interviewer and interviewee.
Weaknesses: Nonetheless, researchers must still consider ethical issues such as informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality, particularly when discussing sensitive or personal topics.
Reliability
Strengths: Unstructured interviews can yield rich and detailed data, providing insights into participants’ perspectives and experiences that may be missed in structured formats.
Weaknesses: However, reliability may be compromised by the lack of standardization in questioning and probing, as well as variability in interviewer skills and techniques.
Validity
Strengths: Unstructured interviews can enhance the validity of findings by allowing participants to express their views and narratives in their own words, capturing the complexity and nuances of their experiences.
Weaknesses: Yet, the lack of standardization in questioning and probing may introduce biases or inconsistencies in data collection, potentially affecting the reliability and generalizability of findings.
Examples
Strengths: Unstructured interviews are commonly used in qualitative research across various disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, and education. For example, ethnographic studies often employ unstructured interview techniques to gather rich qualitative data on cultural practices and social interactions.
Weaknesses: However, unstructured interviews may require careful planning and rapport-building to establish trust and facilitate open communication with participants.
Representativeness
Strengths: Unstructured interviews can enhance the representativeness of findings by allowing participants to express diverse perspectives and experiences, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the research topic.
Weaknesses: Nonetheless, the representativeness of unstructured interviews may be limited by factors such as sample characteristics, interviewer bias, and the subjective interpretation of data.
Theoretical factors
Strengths: Unstructured interviews can contribute to theoretical development by generating rich qualitative data that deepens understanding of social phenomena and informs theoretical frameworks.
Weaknesses: However, the subjective nature of interpretation in unstructured interviews may raise questions about the reliability and validity of findings, particularly if researchers fail to critically reflect on their own biases and assumptions.
