different types of interview
TRANSCRIPT
Research Methods
Basic Qualitative Research Methods
Different Types of Interviews
In today’s lecture
• Interviews with different paradigms
• Interviews with different levels of flexibility
• Interviews conducted by different means
• Interviews recorded in different ways
• Interviews with different types of interviewees
What is interviewing
• Interviewing is questioning human beings in order to obtain knowledge.
• Interviewing is the most widely employed method in qualitative research.
• Differences: 1. Philosophical position 2. Flexibility 3. Means 4. Way of recording 5. Type of interviewee 6. Type of data
Different philosophical positions
• Quantitative interviewing: data are gathered through the standardised questionnaire with rigidly structured questions and answers.
• Qualitative interviewing: data are gathered through flexible and non-standardised questioning.
Different levels of flexibility
• Structured interview
• Unstructured interview
• Semi-structured interview
Questioning techniquesAt the most basic level your questions will either be open or closed:
•Open Ended- a question that does not limit the potential answer that a participant could give and encourages detail.
Could you give me your opinion about which method of coaching is the most valuable and suggest reasons for this?
•Closed – a question that is presented to a participants that limits potential answers to a list or “yes” or “no”.
What is your favourite team in football/rugby/cricket/ netball etc?
Other Methods:
- Hypothetical. - Multi- Barrelled. - Observational.- Behavioural/Competency Based. - Data Recall.- Reasoning. - Evaluation.
Structured interviewCorbetta (2003)• All respondents are asked the same questions with the
same wording and in the same sequence. • Respondents (Interviewees) are free to answer as they
wish. • A questionnaire with open-ended questions of a lesser
degree of standardization. • Unable to probe as deeply as unstructured interview
serves. • Used when the researcher wants to gather data to
describe a given social phenomenon quantitatively but knows little about that phenomenon.
Unstructured interview
• Neither the content nor the form of the questions is predetermined.
• The interviewer raises the topics, encourages the respondent to elucidate further and leads them back to the main point only if they begin to digress towards subjects irrelevant.
• When unforeseen but relevant sub-themes arise during the interview, they will be developed further.
• The timing of interview should be determined by the respondent.
Semi-structured interview
• The interviewer normally has a list of questions, which serves as a set of guidelines.
• The interviewer decides in which order the various topics are dealt with and the wording of the questions.
• The interviewer is free to develop any themes arising during the interview.
• Flexibility within a predetermined scheme.
Interview methodology issues
Interviewer effect/bias
This concept refers to the possibility that a researcher may influence or distort opinions.
Leading Questions
•You must be very careful not to elicit a certain response from a participant.
For example:
I think that the best form of exercise is swimming, would you agree with this?
Example interview
View the following Interview with one of the greatest players ever to play football:
Does the researcher use:
•Open and Closed questions.•Interviewer bias.•Leading questions.
•Lionel Messi.
Different means
• Face-to-face interview
• Telephone interview
• Online interview
• Interview by email/mail
Face-to-face interview
• The best way of conducting qualitative interview.
• Unstructured, semi-structured or informal. • Conversation with facial expression and body
language. • Taking notes can be difficult.• Transcription can be time-consuming.• The interviewer is able to lead.
Telephone interview
• Unstructured or semi-structured
• Conversation without facial expression and body language.
• Taking notes can be easier.
• Transcription can be time-consuming.
• The interviewer is able to lead.
Online interview
• Written conversation
• Semi-structured
• Time-consuming
• Easy and accurate transcription
• The interviewer is able to lead.
Interview by email/mail
• Structured
• Follow-up questions are often needed.
• Easy and accurate transcription
• The interviewer is unable to lead.
Different ways of recording
• Notes
• Camera
• Recorder
Notes
• Taken after but not during informal or unstructured interview.
• Often taken during semi-structured interview.
• More a means of reminding the interviewer rather than a means of recording data.
• Transcription based upon notes may be less accurate.
• The interviewer does not need the interviewee’s consent before he takes any notes.
Camera or recorder
• The interviewee’s consent must be gained before a camera or a recorder is used to record the interview.
• A lot of respondents do not want what they say to be recorded.
• Problem of reactivity.• Transcription could be time-consuming but accurate.• The interviewer may still take notes during or after the
interview.
Different types of interviewees
Flick (2006):
• Interview with a person: individual interests, biographical account and single case.
• Interview with an expert: interests of his or her capacity for a certain field or activity, representing a group of people with specific knowledge or abilities. The interviewer should be familiar with the topics in order to successfully conduct an expert interview.
• Interview with focus groups
Seminar Work
Task:
Interview two friends in the group. Develop an interview guide/list of questions:
Central topic: which Sports club do you support and why?
From this: Report your findings.
• Step 1: Make a question-list which includes at least 4 questions relevant to the central topic.
• Step 2: Verbally question the first interviewee and ask your second to write out their answers to your questions.
• Step 3: Explain the differences between the two interviews.
Required Reading
• The textbook:
Mason, J. (2002) Qualitative Researching (2nd Ed), London: Sage.
• This week’s required reading:
Chapter 4