Unstructured interviews

Unstructured interviews

1. What are they?

   • Basically like a guided conversation between the researcher and the interviewee. They allow the researcher to ask deeper question as they build up a good rapport with the individual
     • Rapport means the trust and understanding between people that allows for a person to open up and talk about sensitive issues
     • Example : William Labov used a formal interview structure with black American children and found that they were less able to speak as they were tongue tied.
       • However, when he used an informal style of interview ( sitting on the floor and using more relaxed language) the child opened up and showed they were capable speakers

2. Advantages

   • Flexibility
     • The interviewer can go with the flow of the interview and can ask questions which they deem appropriate at the right time.
   • Research unknown topics
     • Unstructured interviews are open-ended so the researcher doesn't need to have previous knowledge of the topic as it is basically like a normal converstation
   • Can check understanding