Interview

5. Types of Interview
In social research there are many types of interview. The
most common of these are unstructured, semi-structured
and structured interviews. Sometimes focus group
interview also added.
 5.1.Unstructured interviews
 Unstructured or in-depth interviews are sometimes called
history interviews. This is because they are the favored
approach for life history research.
 In this type of interview, the researcher attempts to achieve
a holistic understanding of the interviewees’ point of view
or situation. For example, if you want to find out about a
Polish man’s experiences of a concentration camp during
the war, you’re delving into his life history. Because you are
unsure of what has happened in his life, you want to enable
him to talk freely and ask as few questions as possible.
 It is for this reason that this type of interview is called
unstructured – the participant is free to talk about what he
or she deems important, with little directional influence
from the researcher.
 This type of interview can only be used for qualitative
research. As the researcher tries to ask as few questions as
possible, people often assume that this type of interviewing is
the easiest. However, this is not necessarily the case. Re-
searchers have to be able to establish rapport with the
participant – they have to be trusted if someone is to reveal
intimate life information. This can be difficult and takes tact,
diplomacy and perseverance.
 Also, some people find it very difficult to remain quiet while
another person talks, sometimes for hours on end.
Researchers need to remain alert, recognizing important
information and probing for more detail. They need to know
how to tactfully steer someone back from totally irrelevant
digressions.
 Also, it is important to realize that unstructured
interviewing can produce a great deal of data which
can be difficult to analyze. It is useful when the
researcher is not aware of what she does not know,
and therefore, relies on the respondents to tell her!
 Unlike the structured interview, the unstructured
interview is an open situation, having greater flexibility
and freedom. Although the research purposes govern
the questions asked, their content, sequence and
wording are entirely in the hands of the interviewer.
This does not mean, however, that the unstructured
interview is a more casual affair, for in its own way it
also has to be carefully planned.
5.2.Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviewing is perhaps the most
common type of interview used in qualitative
social research.
In this type of interview, the researcher wants to
know specific information which can be compared
and contrasted with information gained in other
interviews. To do this, the same questions need to
be asked in each interview.
However, the researcher also wants the interview
to remain flexible so that other important
information can still arise.
 For this type of interview, the researcher produces an
interview schedule. This may be a list of specific questions or
a list of topics to be discussed. This is taken to each interview
to ensure continuity.
 In some re-search, such as a grounded theory study, the
schedule is updated and revised after each interview to
include more topics which have arisen as a result of the
previous inter-view.
 In this type of interview topics or questions are developed
for use in the interview (interview guide). The interview
guide is intended to initiate discussion from the participants,
which will then lead to many further unplanned questions
arising from their particular initial responses.
 This flexibility also means that the questions will not
necessarily be asked in a preset order.
 5.3.Structured interviews
 Structured interviews are used frequently in market re-
search. Have you ever been stopped in the street and
asked about washing powder or which magazines you
read? Or have you been invited into a hall to taste cider
or smell washing-up liquid? The interviewer asks you a
series of questions and ticks boxes with your response.
 This research method is highly structured – hence the
name structured interviews are used in quantitative
research and can be conducted face-to-face or over the
telephone, sometimes with the aid of lap-top computers.
It is useful when the researcher is aware of what she does
not know and therefore is in a position to frame
questions that will supply the knowledge required
In structured interview the content and
procedures are organized in advance. This
means that the sequence and wording of the
questions are determined by means of a
schedule and the interviewer is left little
freedom to make modifications.
Where some leeway is granted her, it too is
specified in advance. It is therefore
characterized by being a closed situation.
 5.4. Focus Group
 Focus groups may be called discussion groups or group
interviews. A number of people are asked to come
together in order to discuss a certain issue for the
purpose of research.
 They are popular within the fields of market research,
political research and educational research.
 For example, in market research this could be a
discussion centered on new packaging for a breakfast
cereal, or in social research this could be to discuss
adults’ experiences of school.
 The discussion is led by a moderator or facilitator who:
 introduces the topic,
 asks specific questions,
 controls digressions and
 stops break-away conversations. It makes sure that no
one person dominates the discussion whilst trying to
ensure that each of the participants makes a
contribution.
 Focus groups may be video-recorded or tape-recorded.
 It is also a tool where by Small groups are asked to
discuss social issues or services. The direction the
discussion takes may be structured by the researcher, or
the group may raise its own questions.( chapter 3:129)
 6.Planning and preparing interview
• Interview may appear like a conversation while in fact it
requires a lot of planning. For successful implementation of
the interview method, interviewers should be carefully
selected, trained and briefed. They should be honest, sincere,
hardworking, impartial and must possess the technical
competence and necessary practical experience. Occasional
field checks should be made to ensure that interviewers are
neither cheating, nor deviating from instructions given to
them for performing their job efficiently.
• In addition, some provision should also be made in advance
so that appropriate action may be taken if some of the
selected respondents refuse to cooperate or are not available
when an interviewer calls upon them.
• In fact, interviewing is an art governed by certain scientific
principles. Every effort should be made to create friendly
atmosphere of trust and confidence, so that respondents may
feel at ease while talking to and discussing with the interviewer.
• The interviewer must ask questions properly and intelligently
and must record the responses accurately and completely. At the
same time, the interviewer must answer legitimate question(s),
if any, asked by the respondent and must clear any doubt that
the latter has.
• The interviewers approach must be friendly, courteous,
conversational and unbiased. The interviewer should not show
surprise or disapproval of a respondent’s answer but he must
keep the direction of interview in his own hand, discouraging
irrelevant conversation and must make all possible effort to keep
the respondent on the track. (Chapter 3:130)
• Generally before engaging in actual interviewing we
need to have a clear plan and preparation on the
following issues:
 Identification of the purpose of our study
 Type of questions we need to ask
 How we intended to establish rapport
 How we probe and clarify for more information
 Making choice of respondents
 Time and resource factors
 Developing the interview schedule
 Deciding over recording tools( tape recorder or note
taking)
 Etc
 7.Techniques of interviewing
• The interview method of collecting data involves presentation of
oral-verbal stimuli and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses.
This method can be used through personal interviews and, if
possible, through telephone interviews.
A .Personal interviews: Personal interview requires a
person known as the interviewer asking questions
generally in a face-to-face contact to the other person or
persons. (At times the interviewee may also ask certain
questions and the interviewer responds to these, but
usually the interviewer initiates the interview and collects
the information.)
• This sort of interview may be in the form of direct personal
investigation or it may be indirect oral investigation.
• In the case of direct personal investigation the interviewer has to
collect the information personally from the sources concerned.
He has to be on the spot and has to meet people from whom
data have to be collected.
• This method is particularly suitable for intensive investigations.
But in certain cases it may not be possible or worthwhile to
contact directly the persons concerned or on account of the
extensive scope of enquiry, the direct personal investigation
technique may not be used. In such cases an indirect oral
examination can be conducted under which the interviewer has
to cross-examine other persons who are supposed to have
knowledge about the problem under investigation and the
information, obtained is recorded.
• Most of the commissions and committees appointed by
government to carry on investigations make use of this method.
This technique serve in both structured, semi structured,
unstructured and focus group interviews.
• Despite the variation of usage for different kinds of interviews, this
technique has the following merits:
 More information and that too in greater depth can be
obtained.
 Interviewer by his own skill can overcome the resistance, if
any, of the respondents; the interview method can be made to
yield an almost perfect sample of the general population.
 There is greater flexibility under this method as the
opportunity to restructure questions is always there, especially
in case of unstructured interviews.
 Observation method can as well be applied to recording verbal
answers to various questions.
 Personal information can as well be obtained easily under this
method.
 Samples can be controlled more effectively as there arises no
difficulty of the missing returns; non-response generally
remains very low.
 The interviewer can usually control which person(s) will
answer the questions. This is not possible in mailed
questionnaire approach. If so desired, group
discussions may also be held.
 The interviewer may catch the informant off-guard and
thus may secure the most spontaneous reactions than
would be the case if mailed questionnaire is used.
 The language of the interview can be adopted to the
ability or educational level of the person interviewed
and as such misinterpretations concerning questions
can be avoided.
 The interviewer can collect supplementary information
about the respondent’s personal characteristics and
environment which is often of great value in
interpreting results.(Kothari 2004:97-99)
• But there are also certain weaknesses of the interview method. Among the
important weaknesses, mention may be made of the following:
 It is a very expensive method, specially when large and widely spread
geographical sample is taken.
 There remains the possibility of the bias of interviewer as well as that of the
respondent; there also remains the headache of supervision and control of
interviewers.
 Certain types of respondents such as important officials or executives or people
in high income groups may not be easily approachable under this method and to
that extent the data may prove inadequate.
 This method is relatively more-time-consuming, especially when the sample is
large and re-calls upon the respondents are necessary.
 The presence of the interviewer on the spot may over-stimulate the respondent,
sometimes even to the extent that he may give imaginary information just to
make the interview interesting.
 Under this interview technique the organization required for selecting, training
and supervising the field-staff is more complex with formidable problems.
 Interviewing at times may also introduce systematic errors.
 Effective interview presupposes proper rapport with respondents that would
facilitate free and frank responses. This is often a very difficult requirement.
B. Telephone interviews: This method of collecting information consists in
contacting respondents on telephone itself. It is not a very widely used method, but
plays important part in industrial surveys, particularly in developed regions. The chief
merits of such a system are:
 It is more flexible in comparison to mailing method.
 It is faster than other methods i.e., a quick way of obtaining information.
 It is cheaper than personal interviewing method; here the cost per
response is relatively
 low
 Recall is easy; callbacks are simple and economical.
 There is a higher rate of response than what we have in mailing method;
the non-response is generally very low.
 Replies can be recorded without causing embarrassment to
respondents.
 Interviewer can explain requirements more easily.
 At times, access can be gained to respondents who otherwise cannot be
contacted for one reason or the other.
 No field staff is required.
 Representative and wider distribution of sample is possible.
 But this system of collecting information is not free from
demerits. Some of these may be highlighted:
 Little time is given to respondents for considered answers;
interview period is not likely to exceed five minutes in
most cases.
 Surveys are restricted to respondents who have
telephone facilities
 Extensive geographical coverage may get restricted by
cost consideration
 It is not suitable for intensive surveys where
comprehensive answers are required to various questions.
 Possibility of the bias of the interviewer is relatively
more.
 Questions have to be short and to the point; probes are
difficult to handle.(Kothari 2004:99-100)