Structured interviews

• ● Structured or formal interviews involve the researcher asking the respondent pre-set questions,

  which tend to be closed-ended questions, often with pre-coded answers (e.g. ‘Excellent’, ‘Very

  good’, etc.), but open-ended questions can also be used.

  ● The interviewer is given strict instructions on how to ask the questions. The interview is conducted

  in the same standardised way each time, asking each respondent precisely the same questions,

  word for word, in the same order, tone of voice, etc.

  ● Like questionnaires, structured interviews are a commonly used form of social survey.
• Theory :

  The use of structured interviews are favoured by POSITIVISTS, as such methods generate large amounts of data from which findings can be generalised to the wider population (macro). They also allow for the collection of data in a reliable and objective way, which positivists prefer as they argue society should be studied scientifically so as to establish ‘social facts’