Unstructured interviews

Created by: cashj244
Created on: 01-06-17 15:18


	Unstructured interviews
	Advantages High validity Rapport can develop between interviewer and respondent and are likely to open up, this increases the validity They avoid danger of interviewer imposing ideas on to respondent as respondent can speak freely Any issues can be followed up on and questions added on Detailed in-depth reactions - valid	Disadvantages The more rapport the interviewer and respondent develop causes the danger of the respondent trying to give answers to please the interviewer Lack of reliability because there is not set questions lack of Representativeness - takes long to carry out and this usually limits the size of the research sample. When answering questions about sensitive topics some people prefer to fill in a questionnaire cost - interviewers need to be trained correctly - this adds to the cost Relevance - the questions may wander into different questions and irrelevant data may be collected Group interviews - people may offer conformist answers rather than what they really think.
	Evaluation Interpretivists prefer unstructured interviews, particularly when researching sensitive topics. Power and status barrier can be broken by unstructured interviews between pupils and researcher - encourages pupils to open up and trust interviewer. Unstructured interviews give younger pupils time, space and encouragement, however, younger pupils may have shorter attention spans and a long unstructured interview may be too demanding. Validity - interviewer can clear up misunderstandings to pupils through unstructured interviews and explain questions for a more accurate response. However, children may go off topic and give irrelevant answers. To put young people at ease the researcher may be friendly and nod and smile, these skills and characteristics are hard to repeat and may reduce the reliability. Children are likely to change their answer if they think its wrong or the researcher does not approve. Unstructured interviews of young people require more training.

Unstructured interviews

Advantages

High validity
Rapport can develop between interviewer and respondent and are likely to open up, this increases the validity
They avoid danger of interviewer imposing ideas on to respondent as respondent can speak freely
Any issues can be followed up on and questions added on
Detailed in-depth reactions - valid

Disadvantages

The more rapport the interviewer and respondent develop causes the danger of the respondent trying to give answers to please the interviewer
Lack of reliability because there is not set questions
lack of Representativeness - takes long to carry out and this usually limits the size of the research sample.
When answering questions about sensitive topics some people prefer to fill in a questionnaire
cost - interviewers need to be trained correctly - this adds to the cost
Relevance - the questions may wander into different questions and irrelevant data may be collected
Group interviews - people may offer conformist answers rather than what they really think.

Evaluation

Interpretivists prefer unstructured interviews, particularly when researching sensitive topics. Power and status barrier can be broken by unstructured interviews between pupils and researcher - encourages pupils to open up and trust interviewer. Unstructured interviews give younger pupils time, space and encouragement, however, younger pupils may have shorter attention spans and a long unstructured interview may be too demanding. Validity - interviewer can clear up misunderstandings to pupils through unstructured interviews and explain questions for a more accurate response. However, children may go off topic and give irrelevant answers. To put young people at ease the researcher may be friendly and nod and smile, these skills and characteristics are hard to repeat and may reduce the reliability. Children are likely to change their answer if they think its wrong or the researcher does not approve. Unstructured interviews of young people require more training.

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Unstructured interviews