Interviews
- Created by: Kenzi2501
- Created on: 11-02-18 14:05
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- Types of Interviews
- Structured/ formal
- Similar to a questionnaire
- Conducted in same standardized way each time
- Same questions in the same order in the same tone,etc..
- Interviewer records interviewees verbal answers
- Same questions in the same order in the same tone,etc..
- Conducted in same standardized way each time
- Weaknesses
- Practical
- More costly than a postal or emailed questionnaire
- Reaches fewer people than a postal questionnaire
- Theoretical
- Lack of validity
- Closed-ended questions restricts interviewees to a limited set of pre-set answers
- If no answer reflects interviewees view the results = invalid.
- They are inflexible
- Interviewer has little freedom to clarify meaning and avoid misunderstan-dings.
- Pre-determined questions means the interviewer has decided was is important
- May not be the same as what the interviewee sees as important
- Will not reflect interviewees concerns and priorities
- Interviewer cannot explore any topics of interest that may come up during the interview
- May not be the same as what the interviewee sees as important
- Interview is a social interaction
- Hawthorne effect
- Closed-ended questions restricts interviewees to a limited set of pre-set answers
- Lack of validity
- Ethical
- People may feel pressured to answer
- They find it harder to turn down a face-to-face request than a postal questionnaire
- People may feel pressured to answer
- Feminist criticisms
- Graham (1983)
- Structured interviews = patriarchal
- Give distorted invalid image of women's experiences
- Researcher, not female interviewee is in control and choose line of questioning
- Women viewed as isolated individuals. Ignores power relationships that oppress them.
- Imposes researchers categories on women
- Limits women's ability to express their experiences of oppression
- Conceals unequal gender power relationships
- Limits women's ability to express their experiences of oppression
- Researcher, not female interviewee is in control and choose line of questioning
- Give distorted invalid image of women's experiences
- Structured interviews = patriarchal
- Graham (1983)
- Practical
- Strengths
- Theoretical
- More representative
- Higher response rate = more likely to get representative sample
- Better for making a generalization about society
- Higher response rate = more likely to get representative sample
- More reliable
- Standardized and controlled procedure makes them easily repeatable for other sociologists
- More representative
- Practical
- Traning interviewers is relatively cheap and easy
- Only have to be able to follow instructions
- Reaches quite a large number of people
- Quick and cheap to carry out
- Results = easily quantified
- Due to use of close- ended questions with coded answers
- Traning interviewers is relatively cheap and easy
- Theoretical
- Favoured by positivists
- Similar to a questionnaire
- Unstructured/ informal
- Like a guided conversation
- Interview has complete freedom to vary the questions asked
- Interviewer has certain subjects they want to cover but no preset questions
- They can ask questions about areas of interest that appear during the inteview
- Interviewer has certain subjects they want to cover but no preset questions
- Interview has complete freedom to vary the questions asked
- Favoured by interpretivists
- Strengths
- Theoretical
- Provide valid data
- Informal
- Researcher can create a rapport/ relationship of trust and understanding with the interviewee
- Puts interviewee at ease
- Encourages them to open up and be honest
- Responses create valid image of their experiences
- Encourages them to open up and be honest
- Puts interviewee at ease
- Researcher can create a rapport/ relationship of trust and understanding with the interviewee
- No set questions
- Interviewer doesn't determine what questions are worth asking
- Allows the interviewee to have the opportunity to discuss what they feel is important
- Flexible
- New ideas can be formulated and tested during the interview
- Don't have to draw up a new interview schedule
- New ideas can be formulated and tested during the interview
- Interviewer doesn't determine what questions are worth asking
- Interviewers are free to clarify meaning and avoid confusion
- If the interviewee doesnt understand a question, it can be explained
- If interviewer doesnt understand an answer, questions can be asked to gain clarification
- Less misunderstan-dings mean the answers are more valid
- If interviewer doesnt understand an answer, questions can be asked to gain clarification
- If the interviewee doesnt understand a question, it can be explained
- Informal
- Provides verstehen/ understanding
- Open-ended questions
- Interviewee expresses their own ideas in their own words
- Produces qualitative data
- Gives us insight to the meanings attached by the interviewee to the subject matter
- Produces qualitative data
- Interviewee expresses their own ideas in their own words
- Open-ended questions
- Provide valid data
- Practical
- Good for researching sensitive subject matter
- Interviewers are empathetic and encouraging
- Interviewee feels more comfortable discussing difficult topics
- E.g Dobash and Dobash's study of domestic violence
- Interviewee feels more comfortable discussing difficult topics
- Interviewers are empathetic and encouraging
- Exploring unfamiliar topics
- They are open-ended and explanatory
- Start with little knowledge of topic
- Learn more by asking questions
- Good starting point for researching topics
- Learn more by asking questions
- Start with little knowledge of topic
- They are open-ended and explanatory
- Good for researching sensitive subject matter
- Theoretical
- Weaknesses
- Theoretical
- Unreliable
- Not standardised or controlled
- Different questions and orders each time
- Difficult to repeat and obtain comparable results
- Different questions and orders each time
- Not standardised or controlled
- Unrepresentat-ive
- Generally they have a low response rate and sample size
- Sample less liekly to be a typical cross-section of the population
- Harder to make valid generalisation-s based on findings
- Sample less liekly to be a typical cross-section of the population
- Generally they have a low response rate and sample size
- Validity
- Interview is social interaction
- May distort validity of fndings
- Answers changed to paint themselves in a favourable light
- May distort validity of fndings
- Interview is social interaction
- Unreliable
- Practical
- Time and sample size
- In-depth interviews
- Take a long time to carry out
- Limits sample size
- Fewer people willing to participate
- Interviewer can see fewer people than if they were doing structured interviews
- Limits sample size
- Take a long time to carry out
- In-depth interviews
- Training
- More thorough than needed for structured interviews
- Must be able to recognise what is important to the research within responses
- So they are able to probe further with appropriate questions
- Adds to cost
- So they are able to probe further with appropriate questions
- Interviewer needs good interpersonal skills so they can establish the rapport required
- Must be able to recognise what is important to the research within responses
- More thorough than needed for structured interviews
- Time and sample size
- Theoretical
- Like a guided conversation
- Semi-structured
- A mix between an unstructured interview and a structured interview
- Each interview has same set of starting questions
- Interviewer can probe for more information
- Additional questions can be asked where relevant
- Interviewer can probe for more information
- Each interview has same set of starting questions
- Strengths
- Researcher can collect both quantitative and
qualitative data
·
- Provides data that is a mix of valid and reliable
- Researcher can collect both quantitative and
qualitative data
·
- Weaknesses
- Interviewer effect
- Presence of an interviewer can influence the validity of data
- People change their responses to paint themselves in a desirable light
- Presence of an interviewer can influence the validity of data
- Generally small sample and flexibility in questions asked
- Leads to an unrepresentat-ive sample
- Makes generalisation-s of findings difficult
- Leads to an unrepresentat-ive sample
- Interviewer effect
- A mix between an unstructured interview and a structured interview
- Group interviews
- Interviews that are not one-to-one
- Multiple people being interviewed together
- Strengths
- Participants feel more comfortable being with others
- More likely to open up
- Throw ideas around the group
- Creates richer, reflective data
- Researcher can use opportunity to observe group dynamic and norm
- Useful way to generate initial ideas on a topic
- Participants feel more comfortable being with others
- Weaknesses
- Discussion may be dominated by one or two individuals and others may not participate
- Peer group pressure
- Pressure to conform to the group's norms
- People answer unhonestly
- Data becomes invalid
- People answer unhonestly
- Pressure to conform to the group's norms
- Peer group pressure
- Researcher must be able to keep conversation on topic
- Data produced is complex and difficult to analyse.
- Discussion may be dominated by one or two individuals and others may not participate
- Focus groups
- interviewer asks group to discuss certain topics
- Interviewer observes group without particpating
- Reduces interviewer bias
- Interviewer observes group without particpating
- interviewer asks group to discuss certain topics
- Interviews that are not one-to-one
- Structured/ formal
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