Interviews

• Why use interviews over questionnaires?

  > Facial expressions (other forms of data)

  > High validity

  > Experiences

  > Serious topics (sensitive)

  > Rapport (relationships)
• What are structured interviews?


  Pre-determined set of questions asked in a fixed order
• What are semi-structured interviews?


  Predetermined questions but allows interviewee to expand when relevant (probe), usually mix of open + closed questions so produces quantitative + qualitative data.
• What are unstructured interviews?


  They have vague topics to cover, but the interview itself is not planned, which allows more accurate answers.

  = more trust = trust 'rapport'.
• How can interviews happen?

  Face to face, web-call, phone call
• What is an interview schedule?

  a list of pre-set questions used in an interview
• How can the interviewer take notes?

  Record the interview to transcribe at a later date
• What is triangulation?


  Gathering data using different research methods and developing themes. To see if the findings are the same, checks reliability
• What is concurrent validity?


  Comparing a new test with an existing test to see if they produce similar results
• What are the strengths of interviews?

  > Both types of data - validity

  > Probe further, less subjectivity

  > Experience
• What are the weaknesses of interviews?

  > Can't replicate, not standardized, less reliable

  > Structure interviews can restrict answers - low validity

  > Interviewer bias - low validity