Structured interviews

Created by: cashj244
Created on: 01-06-17 14:53


	Structured interviews
	Advantages reliability - fixed list of questions, pre coded categories, easy to repeat Representative - quick to conduct - large sample higher response rate that mailed questionnaires Cheapest form of interview Face to face contact - higher response rate Limited interviewer effect compared to unstructured interviews - contact is to a limit with set questions	Disadvantages Lack of validity Can't add on questions or raise new issues closed ended questions prevents interviewee from saying how they are really feeling - invalid Difficult to know if respondent is telling the truth (problem with all interviews) Interviewer effect - interviewers class, gender, age may influence responses Cost - employing and training interviewers costs money - not as cheap as mail questionnaires The respondent may not want to answer personal or sensitive questions in front of interviewer
	Evaluation Positivists find the qualitative data very useful. Take less time than unstructured interviews so are less disruptive to school - likely to receive support for the research. Easy to repeat, so large scale educational behavior can be identified. Interviews may be more unsuccessful with pupils than written questionnaires because pupils are likely to have better verbal skills than literacy. Pupils language and linguistic skills may not be fully developed and may have difficulty understanding certain questions. Informed consent is needed. Power and status between interviewer and pupil may be an issue, as the pupil may see researcher as a teacher or an authority figure and may not give true answers.

Structured interviews

Advantages

reliability - fixed list of questions, pre coded categories, easy to repeat
Representative - quick to conduct - large sample
higher response rate that mailed questionnaires
Cheapest form of interview
Face to face contact - higher response rate
Limited interviewer effect compared to unstructured interviews - contact is to a limit with set questions

Disadvantages

Lack of validity
Can't add on questions or raise new issues
closed ended questions prevents interviewee from saying how they are really feeling - invalid
Difficult to know if respondent is telling the truth (problem with all interviews)
Interviewer effect - interviewers class, gender, age may influence responses
Cost - employing and training interviewers costs money - not as cheap as mail questionnaires
The respondent may not want to answer personal or sensitive questions in front of interviewer

Evaluation

Positivists find the qualitative data very useful. Take less time than unstructured interviews so are less disruptive to school - likely to receive support for the research. Easy to repeat, so large scale educational behavior can be identified. Interviews may be more unsuccessful with pupils than written questionnaires because pupils are likely to have better verbal skills than literacy. Pupils language and linguistic skills may not be fully developed and may have difficulty understanding certain questions. Informed consent is needed. Power and status between interviewer and pupil may be an issue, as the pupil may see researcher as a teacher or an authority figure and may not give true answers.

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Structured interviews