Semistructured interviews can be an effective tool in interpretive research because they help the researcher gain indepth data of participants perspectives and make sense of their lived stories and experiences as told by them. In depth interview advantages and disadvantages wisestep. Difference between structured, unstructured and semi. Flexiblity of it adds to validity as the interviewer can follow up any issues raised by the interviewee disadvantages the. Pdf the use of semistructured interviews in qualitative. Benefits and disadvantages of streaming practices to. 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. 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. An unstructured interview is the opposite of structured interview, because it tends to be more informal and free flowing and it is more like an everyday conversation. This is a type of data collection and varied from structured or standardized interviews. Bradley th is course provides an overview of two types of qualitative data collection methodologies. Not all questions are designed and phrased ahead of time. You will also be presented questions that ask you to identify types of interviews.
Pdf the use of online semistructured interviews in. A number of reasons were given including lesson prep. An advantage compared with an unstructured interview is that it is more practical and will produce data that is a little easier to analyse than a completely free ranging. A semistructured interview is one where the interviewer does have a list of questions they intend to ask, but they are happy to ask supplementary questions if required or to leave out questions if deemed necessary.
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. Since semistructured 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. In the last two decades, telephone interviewing became more and more com. The semistructured format was assessed to be more adapted than a fullystructured interview, enabling to set a framework to the topics discussed, but also letting enough liberty to the respondent. Semi structured interviewing is an important tool for gathering data in qualitative research. There are however, a number of disadvantages to consider before attempting an interview using the semistructured method. Critiquing interviewing as a data collection method. Difference between structured and unstructured interview structured interview. Unstructured interviews advantages avoids researchers imposing their own ideas into the interview process by having no set questions or fixed response categories. Gives freedom in the sequencing and wording of questions as a result of interviewee responses.
Pdf the joys and challenges of semistructured interviewing. The semistructured indepth interview i will be focusing on semistructured indepth interviews in this book is similar to a conversation in that there are two individuals discussing a topic of mutual interest and ideally the discussion is relaxed, open and honest mason, 1998. Pros and cons of conducting user interviews interaction. Unlike a structured interview which contains a series of set questions asked the same way to all interviewees, a semistructured interview is organised around a topic guide. Seven 7 disadvantages of interview as data collection. 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.
The advantages and disadvantages of each method will be dealt with, briefly. Such types of interviews are ones where the respondent receives fixed set of response categories. Semi structured interviews are commonly used in qualitative research generally and interpretive research in particular. There are various advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing interviews. Advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing interviews. In an interview, the openended questions obtain several advantages. The advantages and disadvantages of structured interviews. It combines a few of the preplanned questions of the structured interview with the flexibility to pursue a freeflowing format like the unstructured interview. Advantages and disadvantages of interviews howandwhat. Semistructured interviews supported by questionnaire with inter.
Semistructured interviews are conducted with a fairly open framework which allows focused, conversational, twoway communication. A al oduction h iewing alan morris sage publications ltd. Despite the disadvantages and costs of ssis, they offer some extraordinary benefits as well. The interviewer develops and uses an interview guide. Thus, interviews can be done face to face or by telephone. Hr professionals use different types of interviews e. This is a list of questions and topics that need to be covered during the conversation, usually in a particular order. The use of semistructured interviews in pedagogical. In making this decision, researchers could weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of interviews as a methodology in the light of their research questions, including different styles of interviews structured, semi. The third type of interview is a semistructured interview, and its a combination of the two.
Facetoface interviews have long been the dominant interview technique in the field of qualitative research. Difference between structured and unstructured interviews. Advantages and disadvantages of semistructured interviews. Semistructured interviews semistructured interviews involve a series of openended questions based on the topic areas the researcher wants to cover. All three interviewees were of the opinion that streaming had advantages in the teaching and learning process. Semistructured interviews are best applied when you will not get more than one chance to interview someone and when you will be sending several interviewers out into the field to collect data. However, this article explores some of the advantages and disadvantages of interviews in general. What are the advantages and disadvantages of structured, semistructured and unstructured interviews. Conducted conversationally with one respondent at a time, the semi. The interviewer can conduct these interviews face to face with the respondents or on the telephone. Situating and constructing diversity in semistructured. As a result, i chose semistructured interview as the method i would try out for this assignment.
Everyday conversation is extended and formalized as an in depth interview. The semistructured interview guide provides a clear set of instructions for interviewers and can provide reliable, comparable qualitative data. In semistructured interviews, some questions are predetermined and asked all candidates. Qualitative research methodinterviewing and observation. Within these there are also choices to be made, each with advantages or disadvantages. 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. Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques. While semistructured interviews are a great way to delve deeper into issues, this type of interview methodology is not without its limitations. Th ese techniques are commonly used in policy research and are applicable to many research questions. This quiz and worksheet can help check your knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of unstructured interviews. A semistructured interview is a type of interview in which the interviewer asks only a few predetermined questions while the rest of the questions are not planned in advance. Semistructured interviews and focus groups margaret c. 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. This chapter begins with a discussion on the disadvantages and advantages of ssis.
Choosing between an interview and a self completed questionnaire on which the respondent writes their answers is an important decision. Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in qualitative research raymond opdenakker abstract. 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. Structured interviews use a questionnaire format with closed questions and can be beneficial, particularly when participants have either a speech or language impairment. Advantages and disadvantages of interview in research may 24, 2019 by sociology group approaching the respondent according to the interviewers manual, the introductory tasks of the interviewer are. What are the advantages and disadvantages of structured. This paper explores some of the joys and challenges associated with research interviewing. The interviewer follows the guide, but is able to follow topical trajectories in the conversation that may stray. There are a number of advantages of interviews from the perspectives of both an applicant and a hiring. However, they are frequently used to generate quantitative rather semistructured interviews. Semistructured interviews are useful when you are working with a complex issue because you can use probes and spontaneous questions to explore, deepen understanding, and clarify answers to questions.
Advantages and disadvantages of interview in research. Some disadvantages to semistructured interviews include. Their strength therefore lie in that they are flexible. About one hour is considered a reasonable maximum length for ssis in order to minimize fatigue for both interviewer and respondent.
Hannah creane follows on from this, stating that a semistructured interview, would allow me to gain the research i wanted without pigeonholing the response of those i was interviewing bryman, 2008, p. Below are mentioned the video conferencing interviews advantages, as well as disadvantages. Semistructured interviews are based on semistructured interview guide, which is a schematic presentation of questions or topics and need to be explored by the interviewer. The transcribing and coding of interview data is a major task for the.
Disadvantages of interviews as data collection tool in research are. Recording semistructured interviews typically, the interviewer has a paperbased interview guide that he or she follows. Albeit the disadvantages accompanied with semistructured 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. Benefits and disadvantages of streaming practices to accommodate students by ability. A structured interview is a type of interview that is completely planned, which means every interviewee gets the same interview questions. Analysis of data can be difficult and time consuming. The following section identifies the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of these modes of administration. Structured vs unstructured vs semistructured interviews. Its timeconsuming to sit down with respondents and conduct an openended interview. The most basic form of information collection is an ordinary conversation. In semistructured interviews, some questions are predetermined and asked all candidates, while others arise spontaneously in a free flowing conversation. 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. If the free flow of information is reduced, as it is in semistructured interviews, the amount of data obtained from each participant is more limited, hence.
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