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STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
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STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
WHAT IS A STRUCTURED INTERVIEW?
- A questionnaire administered by an interviewer who is not allowed to deviate in any way from the questions provided.
ADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
- 1. Answers obtained from the interview can be compared, so trends and patterns can be seen, as respondents answer the same questions.
- 2. Interviews can utilize larger samples, so generalisations are more justified.
- 3. Structured interviews are suitable for simple, straightforward, factual information, such as a respondents' age, gender, educational qualifications and occupations.
- 4. More likely to produce comparable date, all respondents answer the same questions, allowing researchers to directly compare their responses and identify similarities and dfferences.
- 5. Structured interviews are more formal, there may be less chance of interviewer bias.
- 6. Quantifiable data is more likely since questions can be structured to provide yes/no answers or choices between given alternatives. The results are easily quantified because they use closed ended questions with coded answers. This makes them suitable for hypothesis testing.
- 7. Structured interviews are seen as reliable because it's easy for the researcher to standardise and control them. They can ensure that each interview is conducted in precisely the same way, with the same questions, in the same irder, with the same wording and tone of voice.
- 8. Standardised questions and answers produce reliable data because other researchers can replicate the interview.
- 9. Pre-coded responses produce quantitative data, identify and measure behaviour patterns and establish cause and effect relationships.
- 10. Structured interviews are often large scale, so are respresentative.
- 9. Pre-coded responses produce quantitative data, identify and measure behaviour patterns and establish cause and effect relationships.
- 8. Standardised questions and answers produce reliable data because other researchers can replicate the interview.
- 7. Structured interviews are seen as reliable because it's easy for the researcher to standardise and control them. They can ensure that each interview is conducted in precisely the same way, with the same questions, in the same irder, with the same wording and tone of voice.
- 6. Quantifiable data is more likely since questions can be structured to provide yes/no answers or choices between given alternatives. The results are easily quantified because they use closed ended questions with coded answers. This makes them suitable for hypothesis testing.
- 5. Structured interviews are more formal, there may be less chance of interviewer bias.
- 4. More likely to produce comparable date, all respondents answer the same questions, allowing researchers to directly compare their responses and identify similarities and dfferences.
- 3. Structured interviews are suitable for simple, straightforward, factual information, such as a respondents' age, gender, educational qualifications and occupations.
- 2. Interviews can utilize larger samples, so generalisations are more justified.
- 1. Answers obtained from the interview can be compared, so trends and patterns can be seen, as respondents answer the same questions.
DISADVANTAGES OF STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
- 1. It can be a time consuming process. If a large sample is used, it can take longer as the interview has to be present for each interview.
- 2. Answers given may not be reliable, or reflect real behaviour as respondents may lie, forget or exaggerate, producing false data.
- 3. Interviewees may also be influenced by the presence of the researcher. Answers given may be influenced by the way the interviewees define the situation.
- 4. The questions are pre-planned and fixed, so the researcher nor the responder can diverge from the questions asked. So, important areas or topics may not be talked about, that the researcher may have not considered beforehand.
- 5. Validity isn't that great as it isn't easy to get in depth information because the interviewer can't ask highly detailed or complex questions.
- 6. Respondents are restricted in terms of the in depth of answers they can give.
- 7. Structured interviews suffer from the inflexibility that comes from having to draw up the questions in advance. The researcher has already decided what is important, which may not coincide with what the interviewee thinks is.
- 8. Structured interviews are merely snapshots taken at one moment in time, so fail to capture the flowing, dynamic nature of social life.
- 9. Interviewees have very little chance to oepn up or talk about what they think its important, and are limited to what they can actually say.
- 10. Even though structured interviews can cover quite large numbers of people with limited resources as they are quick and cheap to administer, but however cannot match the potentially hue numbers reached by postal questionnaires.
- 11. The interviewee may misunderstand the question, or the interviewer may misunderstand the answer.
- 12. Researchers need to have some knowledge of the subject and a clear hypothesis before they start interviewing, otherwise they don't have any idea of what questions to ask.
- 12. Researchers need to have some knowledge of the subject and a clear hypothesis before they start interviewing, otherwise they don't have any idea of what questions to ask.
- 11. The interviewee may misunderstand the question, or the interviewer may misunderstand the answer.
- 10. Even though structured interviews can cover quite large numbers of people with limited resources as they are quick and cheap to administer, but however cannot match the potentially hue numbers reached by postal questionnaires.
- 9. Interviewees have very little chance to oepn up or talk about what they think its important, and are limited to what they can actually say.
- Findings then lack validity, as they don't reflect interviewee's concerns and priorties.
- 8. Structured interviews are merely snapshots taken at one moment in time, so fail to capture the flowing, dynamic nature of social life.
- 7. Structured interviews suffer from the inflexibility that comes from having to draw up the questions in advance. The researcher has already decided what is important, which may not coincide with what the interviewee thinks is.
- 6. Respondents are restricted in terms of the in depth of answers they can give.
- 5. Validity isn't that great as it isn't easy to get in depth information because the interviewer can't ask highly detailed or complex questions.
- 4. The questions are pre-planned and fixed, so the researcher nor the responder can diverge from the questions asked. So, important areas or topics may not be talked about, that the researcher may have not considered beforehand.
- 3. Interviewees may also be influenced by the presence of the researcher. Answers given may be influenced by the way the interviewees define the situation.
- 2. Answers given may not be reliable, or reflect real behaviour as respondents may lie, forget or exaggerate, producing false data.
- 1. It can be a time consuming process. If a large sample is used, it can take longer as the interview has to be present for each interview.
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- Mind Map on STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS, created by Simran H on 25/01/2015.
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- Simran H
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