Interviews

Question 1

Interviews Overview

Answer 1

Popular research method, often preferred by positivists.

Issues: validity problems and interviewer bias.

Positivists: reveal attitudes/behaviour.

Interpretivists: artificial → reveal only what interviewee wants to share.

Question 2

Interviewer Bias

Answer 2

Responses can be influenced by presence, appearance, or behaviour of interviewer.

Differences in answers may reflect interviewer, not respondents.

Question 3

Structured / Formal Interviews

Answer 3

Pre-coded interview schedule.

Preferred by positivists.

Question 4

Structured / Formal Interviews: Positives

Answer 4

High response rates; overcomes literacy issues.

Reliable → same questions for all, results comparable and replicable.

Good for facts & quantitative data.

Minimal ethical issues; interviewees informed.

Limited interviewer bias.

Question 5

Structured / Formal Interviews: Negatives

Answer 5

Time-consuming, costly, interviewers need training.

Imposition problem → limits depth of responses.

Posibility of interviewer bias remains.

Question 6

Unstructured / Informal Interviews

Answer 6

Guided conversation; may include open-ended questions.

Preferred by interpretivists; can include focus groups.

Question 7

Unstructured / Informal Interviews: Positives

Answer 7

Flexible → participants open up, ideas can develop.

Ambiguities clarified; interviewer probes for nuance.

Allows assessment of honesty and validity.

Group discussions yield in-depth info.

Ethical → informed consent, participants can refuse questions.

Question 8

Unstructured / Informal Interviews: Negatives

Answer 8

Time-consuming, costly, qualitative data takes longer to analyse.

Less reliable → hard to replicate or compare.

Outcomes influenced by interviewer’s skill and personal qualities.

Group interviews may induce peer pressure/conformity.