self-report

• what is a questionnaire?


  A set of questions used to gather information or opinions from individuals.
• strengths of a questionnaire?

  Quantitative data

  • Provide a relatively cheap, quick and efficient way of obtaining large amounts of information from a large sample of people.
• weakness of a questionnaire?

  respondents providing false information

  central tendency

  demand characteristics
• what is a structured interview?

  A structured interview is a standardized interview process where all candidates are asked the same set of predetermined questions.
• strengths of structured interviews?

  standardised procedure

  reliability- easy to replicate as a fixed set of closed questions are used.

  in-depth understanding of respondents thoughts on a specific topic

  quick and easy
• weakness of structured interviews?

  lack of flexibility - interview schedule must be followed

  lack of detail - generating quantitative data without much context

  formality - little opportunity to build a rapport between interviewer and participant
• what is a semi-structured interview?

  An interview method that combines open-ended and structured questions.
• strength of semi-structured interviews?

  Flexibility - allows for adaptation based on answers and reactions

  reliable/comparable data

  more natural and casual for respondants
• weakness of semi-structured interviews

  low validity

  high risk of bias and temptation to ask leading questions

  difficult to develop good questions
• what is an unstructured interview?

  Interview without a predetermined set of questions or a specific format.
• strengths of an unstructured interview

  good way for interviewer and participant to build a good rapport

  lots of important context
• weakness of an unstructured interview?

  can lead to researcher bias

  may ask leading questions

  can take a long time to collect and analyse information