structured interviews

structured interviews

1. advantages

   • reliability
     • easily quantifiable data
     • every response is measured in the same way
     • standardised
     • directly comparable
     • replicable
     • used to verify results of other interviews
     • identify changes over time
   • representativeness
     • quick to conduct
     • larger sample
     • generalisations
     • higher response rate
   • contact
     • face-face interviews means higher response rate
     • purpose and importance can be explained
   • limited interviewer effect
     • contact is limited to asking and responding to a fixed list of questions and possible answers
     • minimise interviewer effect
       • deadpan delivery showing no emotion

2. disadvantages

   • lack of validity
     • prevents raising new issues
       • limit what respondents can talk about
       • may exclude important aspects
     • fixed response rate
       • may prevent interviewee from saying what they think
     • open to interpretation
       • limit how far they can explain meaning
     • difficult to know is respondent is being truthful
     • might interpret social characteristics
   • reliability
     • not replicable
     • different social characteristics
   • cost
     • employing and training increases cost
     • not as cheap as questionarires
   • sensitive issues
     • asking fixed questions in deadpan manner can be off putting

3. evaluation

   • postitivists
     • useful for obtaining factual info
     • gain ideas on patterns/trends
   • feminists
     • patriarchal, women cannot express feelings of oppression