Different types of interview

1. Research Methods
Basic Qualitative Research Methods
Different Types of Interviews

2. In today’s lecture
• Interviews with different paradigms
• Interviews with different levels of flexibility
• Interviews conducted by different means
• Interviews recorded in different ways
• Interviews with different types of interviewees

3. What is interviewing
• Interviewing is questioning human beings in order to
obtain knowledge.
• Interviewing is the most widely employed method in
qualitative research.
• Differences:
1. Philosophical position
2. Flexibility
3. Means
4. Way of recording
5. Type of interviewee
6. Type of data

4. Different philosophical positions
• Quantitative interviewing: data are gathered
through the standardised questionnaire with
rigidly structured questions and answers.
• Qualitative interviewing: data are gathered
through flexible and non-standardised
questioning.

5. Different levels of flexibility
• Structured interview
• Unstructured interview
• Semi-structured interview

6. Questioning techniques
At the most basic level your questions will either be open or closed:
•Open Ended- a question that does not limit the potential answer that a
participant could give and encourages detail.
Could you give me your opinion about which method of coaching is the most
valuable and suggest reasons for this?
•Closed – a question that is presented to a participants that limits potential
answers to a list or “yes” or “no”.
What is your favourite team in football/rugby/cricket/ netball etc?
Other Methods:
- Hypothetical. - Multi- Barrelled. - Observational.
- Behavioural/Competency Based. - Data Recall.
- Reasoning. - Evaluation.

7. Structured interview
Corbetta (2003)
• All respondents are asked the same questions with the
same wording and in the same sequence.
• Respondents (Interviewees) are free to answer as they
wish.
• A questionnaire with open-ended questions of a lesser
degree of standardization.
• Unable to probe as deeply as unstructured interview
serves.
• Used when the researcher wants to gather data to
describe a given social phenomenon quantitatively
but knows little about that phenomenon.

8. Unstructured interview
• Neither the content nor the form of the questions is
predetermined.
• The interviewer raises the topics, encourages the
respondent to elucidate further and leads them back
to the main point only if they begin to digress towards
subjects irrelevant.
• When unforeseen but relevant sub-themes arise
during the interview, they will be developed further.
• The timing of interview should be determined by the
respondent.

9. Semi-structured interview
• The interviewer normally has a list of questions,
which serves as a set of guidelines.
• The interviewer decides in which order the various
topics are dealt with and the wording of the
questions.
• The interviewer is free to develop any themes
arising during the interview.
• Flexibility within a predetermined scheme.

10. Interview methodology issues
Interviewer effect/bias
This concept refers to the
possibility that a
researcher may influence
or distort opinions.
Leading Questions
•You must be very careful
not to elicit a certain
response from a
participant.
For example:
I think that the best form
of exercise is swimming,
would you agree with this?

11. Example interview
View the following Interview with one of the greatest
players ever to play football:
Does the researcher use:
•Open and Closed questions.
•Interviewer bias.
•Leading questions.
•Lionel Messi.

12. Different means
• Face-to-face interview
• Telephone interview
• Online interview
• Interview by email/mail

13. Face-to-face interview
• The best way of conducting qualitative
interview.
• Unstructured, semi-structured or informal.
• Conversation with facial expression and body
language.
• Taking notes can be difficult.
• Transcription can be time-consuming.
• The interviewer is able to lead.

14. Telephone interview
• Unstructured or semi-structured
• Conversation without facial expression and
body language.
• Taking notes can be easier.
• Transcription can be time-consuming.
• The interviewer is able to lead.

15. Online interview
• Written conversation
• Semi-structured
• Time-consuming
• Easy and accurate transcription
• The interviewer is able to lead.

16. Interview by email/mail
• Structured
• Follow-up questions are often needed.
• Easy and accurate transcription
• The interviewer is unable to lead.

17. Different ways of recording
• Notes
• Camera
• Recorder

18. Notes
• Taken after but not during informal or unstructured
interview.
• Often taken during semi-structured interview.
• More a means of reminding the interviewer rather
than a means of recording data.
• Transcription based upon notes may be less accurate.
• The interviewer does not need the interviewee’s
consent before he takes any notes.

19. Camera or recorder
• The interviewee’s consent must be gained before a camera
or a recorder is used to record the interview.
• A lot of respondents do not want what they say to be
recorded.
• Problem of reactivity.
• Transcription could be time-consuming but accurate.
• The interviewer may still take notes during or after the
interview.

20. Different types of interviewees
Flick (2006):
• Interview with a person: individual interests, biographical
account and single case.
• Interview with an expert: interests of his or her capacity
for a certain field or activity, representing a group of
people with specific knowledge or abilities. The interviewer
should be familiar with the topics in order to successfully
conduct an expert interview.
• Interview with focus groups

21. Seminar Work
Task:
Interview two friends in the group.
Develop an interview guide/list of
questions:
Central topic: which Sports club do
you support and why?
From this: Report your findings.
• Step 1: Make a question-list which
includes at least 4 questions
relevant to the central topic.
• Step 2: Verbally question the first
interviewee and ask your second to
write out their answers to your
questions.
• Step 3: Explain the differences
between the two interviews.

22. Required Reading
• The textbook:
Mason, J. (2002) Qualitative Researching (2nd
Ed), London: Sage.
• This week’s required reading:
Chapter 4