Interviews

• interview


  a 'real-time' interaction where the interviewer asks a set of questions to assess an interviewee's thoughts and/or experiences
• three types of interview


  -structured

  -unstructured

  -semi-structured
• structured interview


  uses a pre-determined set of questions in a fixed order
• unstructured interview


  there are no set questions- new questions are developed during the course of the interview based on the answers given
• semi-structured interview


  uses a list of pre-determined questions but the interviewer is free to ask follow-up questions
• interview schedule


  the list of questions that the interviewer intends to cover
• why the interview schedule should be standardised


  to reduce the effect of interviewer bias
• structured interview advantages


  -easy to replicate due to standardised format

  -easier to analyse as answers are more predictable
• structured interview disadvantages


  -not possible for interviewee to deviate from topic= possible frustration

  -interviewer bias= a form of investigator effects. interviewer's expectations may influence answers
• unstructured interview advantages


  more flexibility and can gain more insight into the world view of interviewee
• unstructured interview disadvantages


  -interviewer bias

  -requires interviewers with skill as have to develop new questions on the spot= more expensive to produce

  -difficult to draw conclusions from potentially irrelevant information