Structured

• Structured Interviews

  • Favoured by positivists
  • Involves face to face or over the phone delivery of questionnaires
  • They use a list of Pre-Set questions designed by the researcher and asked of all interviewees in the same way
• Advantages

  • Practical
  • Representative
  • Results are easily quantifiable as they use close-ended questions with coded answers
  • Reliable
• Practical

  • Training interviewers is easy and cheap
  • cheap and easy to administer
• Representative

  Can reach a geographically wide research sample
• Reliable

  The structured process provides a ‘recipe’ for reproducibility
• Disadvantages

  • Lack of validity
• Lack of Validity

  • The use of close ended questions and pre-coded answers may not fit what the interviewee wishes to say
  • People may lie or exaggerate