Pdf conducting semistructured interviews researchgate. The popularity of semistructured interviews within the social sciences partly reflects their independence from a single theoretical framework or epistemological position. A quick guide to semistructured interviews fuel cycle. These are based on structured, closedended questions. Conducting semistructured interviews 493 the name that appears to be currently garnering a majority of usage is not crisp, clever, or inventive but it is simple and descriptive. Semistructured interviews sswm find tools for sustainable. Semistructured interviewing in primary care research. Since semi structured interviews often contain openened questions and discussions may diverge from the interview guide, it is generally best to taperecord interviews and later transcript these tapes for analysis. Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in. We searched pubmed, cinahl, scopus and web of science for. Thestructured interviews arethatalistof questions isaskedtheanswers recorded ona standardized schedule. The interview effect and the interviewee effect may occur see structured interviews.
A structured interview is a type of interview in which the interviewer asks a particular set of predetermined questions, while the unstructured interview is a type of interview in which the. Strengths and weaknesses of qualitative interviews open. Okeeffe et al the use of semi structured interviews for the characterisation of farmer irrigation practices 19 and culturally sensitive, and they should ensure that they assist, rather than impede, the. Semi structured interviews are conducted with a fairly open framework which allows focused, conversational, twoway communication. This chapter begins with a discussion on the disadvantages and advantages of ssis. Semi structured interviews semi structured interviews involve a series of openended questions based on the topic areas the researcher wants to cover. Make sure the interview was properly recorded make additional notes, if needed.
Since there are disadvantages of both structured and unstructured interviews, researchers generally prefer to adopt a middleground using a semi structured approach dunn, 2000. Most indepth collect information about why behaviors are practiced, how people think, and conceptualizations of behavior gain knowledge of exact wordslanguage people use emic insider perspective disadvantages. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of a semistructured interview. A semistructured interview is a qualitative research method that combines a pre determined set of open questions questions that prompt discussion with the.
In marketing research, griffin and hauser 1993 note that an n of 2030 reduces the possibility of missing a minority opinion. Sep 14, 2018 it is also common for structured interviews to be used in combination with other types of research interviews. For example, the respondents answers can be affected by his reaction to the interviewers race, class, age or physical appearance. Selection of a suitable and appropriate method is an important aspect in ensuring successful implementation of a research. Responses from structured interviews need to be entered into a data analysis program. The semi structured interview is a common data collection method, but methodological research on the development of a semi structured interview guide is sparse. To achieve optimum use of interview time, interview guides serve the useful purpose of exploring many respondents more systematically and comprehensively as well as to keep. However, they are frequently used to generate quantitative rather semistructured interviews. The advantages and disadvantages of structured interviews.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a semistructured interview. This technique can be used to obtain feedback and offers the interviewer the opportunity to explore an issue or service. Recording semi structured interviews typically, the interviewer has a paperbased interview guide that he or she follows. Interview guides can vary in format but should contain some outline of the topics you hope to cover during the course of an interview.
This is the most common format of data collection in qualitative research. Structured interviews use a questionnaire format with closed questions and can be beneficial, particularly when participants have either a speech or language impairment. This is also known as a formal interview like a job interview. Not all questions are designed and phrased ahead of time. The aim of the whole approach is to make sure that the interview has been presented in the same manner. Pdf the use of semistructured interviews in qualitative.
Semi structured interviews are based on semi structured interview guide, which is a schematic presentation of questions or topics and need to be explored by the interviewer. Pdf the joys and challenges of semistructured interviewing. Describe the skills required to undertake a structured, semistructured or unstructured interview. This allows the interviewer to be prepared and appear competent during the interview. Semistructured interviewing in practice the research interests framing the. Summarise the advantages and disadvantages of facetoface. This is the most commonly used type of interview used in qualitative research and many studies.
The article concludes that while a mixed mode interviewing strategy should be considered when possible, email interviewing can be in many cases a viable alternative to facetoface and telephone interviewing. Conducted conversationally with one respondent at a time, the semi structured interview ssi employs a blend of closed and openended questions, often accompanied by followup why or how questions. Semi structured interviews are particularly useful for collecting information. The advantages and disadvantages of each method will be dealt with, briefly. Albeit the disadvantages accompanied with semi structured interviews as a method of data collection, they were selected in this study due to the fact that they offer convenience in data collection cohen and crabtree, 2006. Structured interviews are easy to replicate as a fixed set of closed questions are used, which are easy to quantify this means it is easy to test for reliability. These include the ability to clearly structure questions. This method typically consists of a dialogue between researcher and participant, guided by a flexible interview protocol and supplemented by followup questions, probes and comments.
According to oakley, qualitative interview is a type of framework in which the practices and standards be not only recorded, but also achieved, challenged and as well as reinforced. Semistructured interviews are conducted with a fairly open framework which allows focused, conversational, twoway communication. Aug 29, 2019 while semistructured interviews are a great way to delve deeper into issues, this type of interview methodology is not without its limitations. Rigorous development of a qualitative semistructured interview guide contributes to the objectivity and trustworthiness of. Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques. A semi structured interview is a method of research used most often in the social sciences.
The structured interview is a standardized interview process that comes with several advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the interviewer must ensure that the questions provide data. One could argue that msn messenger and telephone interviews are characterised by synchronous communication in cyberspace. Conducting a good semistructured interview requires a thoughtful planning which includes. A problem common to both postal questionnaires and structured interviews is the fact that by designing a list of questions, a researcher has effectively decided in advance of collecting any data the things they consider to be important and unimportant. Participants could opt to be interviewed individually or with their siblings. However, they are frequently used to generate quantitative rather semi structured interviews. Interviews, however, can be nonscheduled, though still partly standardised. The potentials and pitfalls of using skype for qualitative. Conducting interview studies can be very costly as well as very timeconsuming. Before going into more detail about semistructured interviews, lets rst con.
In the last two decades, telephone interviewing became more and more common. Rarely was the method used as a standalone technique. Structured interviews are fairly quick to conduct which means that many interviews can take place within a short amount of time. Qualitative semi structured interviews can be used as much to consider experience, meanings and the reality of participants experiences as they can be used to explore how these experiences, realities and meanings might be informed by discourses, assumptions. Now that you know when to use a semistructured interview, lets. A methodological guide to using and reporting on interviews. Semistructured interviews provide an effective and feasible research method for. Semi structured interviews and focus groups margaret c. The openended nature of the question defines the topic under. Semi structured interviews are often preceded by observation, informal and unstructured interviewing in order to allow the researchers to develop a good understanding of the topic of interest necessary for developing relevant and meaningful semi structured questions.
Conducting semi structured interviews 493 the name that appears to be currently garnering a majority of usage is not crisp, clever, or inventive but it is simple and descriptive. Indepth interviews are semi structured interviews where the researcher has topics and questions in mind to ask, but questions are open ended and flow according to how the participant responds to each. Semi structured interviews whereas the unstructured interview is conducted in conjunction with the collection of observational data, semi structured interviews are often the sole data source for a qualitative research project21 and are usually scheduled in advance at a designated time and location outside of everyday events. Analysis of data can be difficult and time consuming. Semi structured interviewing is an important tool for gathering data in qualitative research. This guide provides an overview and comparison of different job interview types and explains how to conduct each of them in a few simple steps. Some disadvantages to semistructured interviews include. Their strength therefore lie in that they are flexible. Its timeconsuming to sit down with respondents and conduct an openended interview. Qualitative semistructured interviews can be used as much to consider experience, meanings and the reality of. Advantages and disadvantages of a semistructured interview. While a structured interview has a rigorous set of questions which does not allow one to divert, a semi structured interview is open, allowing new ideas to be brought up during the interview as a result of what the interviewee says.
Critiquing interviewing as a data collection method. As cyberspace is defined as the noplace morse, 1998, communication in a virtual place brings. While semi structured interviews are a great way to delve deeper into issues, this type of interview methodology is not without its limitations. The transcribing and coding of interview data is a major task for the. Seven 7 disadvantages of interview as data collection tool. Semi structured interviews are often preceded by observation, informal and. Because questions are standardized, structured interviews result in decreased variability among interviewers, which enhances interrater reliability. Jan 24, 2018 recruiters and human resources professionals divide job interviews into 3 different types. Bradley th is course provides an overview of two types of qualitative data collection methodologies. A sample n 30 for semistructured interviews is derived from several sources. Facetoface interviews have long been the dominant interview technique in the field of qualitative research. The openended nature of the question defines the topic under investigation but provides opportunities for both interviewer and interviewee to discuss some topics in more detail.
Analysing semistructured interviews using thematic. This is sometimes called a semi structured interview. Name of method focused semistructured interviews brief outline of method this technique is used to collect qualitative data by setting up a situation the interview that allows a respondent the time and scope to talk about their opinions on a particular subject. Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in qualitative research. Difference between structured, unstructured and semi. Some disadvantages to semi structured interviews include. Statistics definitions a semistructured interview is a way of research which. Informal, unstructured, semi structured, structured telephone, facetoface 4 advantages. Here, the interviewer works from a list of topics that need to be covered with each respondent, but the order and exact wording of questions is not important. Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in qualitative research place. Using interviews in a research project simmons university.
Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in qualitative research raymond opdenakker abstract. Semi structured interviews sit halfway between a structured survey and an unstructured conversation. This paper explores some of the joys and challenges associated with research interviewing. The interviewer follows a guideline but is able to follow topical trajectories in the conversation that may stray from the guide when it seems appropriate. Advantages and disadvantages of interview in research. Semistructured indepth interviews are commonly used in qualitative research and are the most frequent qualitative data source in health services research. The most basic form of information collection is an ordinary conversation. A structured interview is one where the interviewer asks each participant the same set of questions in the exact same order including probes, in order to gather consistent and comparable data this method of interviewing is also known as the standardized openended interview patton, 2002 and uses preestablished questions with limited response categories. These interviews, in the main, took place in participants homes3.
There are certain disadvantages of interview studies as well which are. Semi structured interviews are useful when collecting attitudinal information on a. The proposed study aims to obtain weights for sustainable construction criteria from the input and perception of industrial. The questions are asked in a set standardized order and the interviewer will not deviate from the interview schedule or probe beyond the answers received so they are not flexible.
Despite the disadvantages and costs of ssis, they offer some extraordinary benefits as well. Everyday conversation is extended and formalized as an in depth interview. Such types of interviews are ones where the respondent receives fixed set of response categories. Pdf the use of semistructured interviews in qualitative research. It allows the interviewee to express their opinions, concerns and feelings. Summarise the advantages and disadvantages of faceto face. In depth interview advantages and disadvantages wisestep. Qualitative research methodinterviewing and observation. Th e course does not aim to cover all the aspects of interviewing and focus groups, but rather it is designed to provide an overview of these methods, as well as some practical tools. Aug 10, 2015 this chapter begins with a discussion on the disadvantages and advantages of ssis. Structured and unstructured interviews simply psychology. Analysing semistructured interviews using thematic analysis. As no research interview lacks structure most of the qualitative research interviews are either semi structured, lightly.
Data preparation and analysis is end loaded compared with, for instance, questionnaires, which are preceded and where data are ready for analysis once they have collected. In the last two decades, telephone interviewing became more and more com. The interviewer needs to be skilled at opening up the conversation. Disadvantages of interviews as data collection tool in research are. The wording of questions will not necessarily be the same for all respondents.
These rely on a preconceived interview guide, which means that stan. A semistructured interview is a qualitative research method that combines a predetermined set of open questions questions that prompt discussion with the. It is a quantitative research process, that has been employed in every survey research and can be presented in the same way. Organize your interview responses responses from unstructured and semi structured interviews need to be transcribed. If you are unclear about the differences between them or unsure which one to use, youve come to the right place. A structured interview is an interview that has a set of predefined questions and the questions would be asked in the same order for all respondents. Th ese techniques are commonly used in policy research and are applicable to many research questions. This is a type of data collection and varied from structured or standardized interviews. The screening process resulted in 170 articles, the majority of which 67%, n 114, were published between 2011 and 2017. Advantages and disadvantages of interviews as a research method advantages disadvantages structured interview allows researcher to prompt interviewee by providing a set of example responses has the potential to be quick and easy to conduct speci. Developing an interview guide often starts with outlining the issuestopics that.