What Kind Of Data Are Interviews Intended To Obtain?

Types of Interviews in Enquiry | Guide & Examples

Published on March x, 2022 by Tegan George. Revised on May 4, 2022.

An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on request questions in order to collect data. Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions.

There are several types of interviews, often differentiated by their level of structure. Structured interviews have predetermined questions asked in a predetermined order. Unstructured interviews are more free-flowing, and semi-structured interviews autumn in betwixt.

Interviews are normally used in market research, social science, and ethnographic research.

What is a structured interview?

Structured interviews have predetermined questions in a set social club. They are oftentimes closed-ended, featuring dichotomous (yes/no) or multiple-pick questions. While open up-ended structured interviews be, they are much less mutual. The types of questions asked make structured interviews a predominantly quantitative tool.

Asking set questions in a set gild can assist you come across patterns among responses, and it allows y'all to easily compare responses between participants while keeping other factors abiding. This tin mitigate biases and pb to higher reliability and validity. However, structured interviews can be overly formal, every bit well as limited in scope and flexibility.

Structured interviews may exist a good fit for your enquiry if:

You lot feel very comfy with your topic. This will assist yous formulate your questions nearly finer.
You take limited time or resources. Structured interviews are a bit more straightforward to analyze because of their closed-ended nature, and tin be a achievable undertaking for an private.
Your research question depends on holding environmental conditions between participants constant.

What is a semi-structured interview?

Semi-structured interviews are a blend of structured and unstructured interviews. While the interviewer has a general plan for what they want to ask, the questions do not have to follow a particular phrasing or order.

Semi-structured interviews are often open-ended, allowing for flexibility, but follow a predetermined thematic framework, giving a sense of club. For this reason, they are oftentimes considered "the best of both worlds."

Even so, if the questions differ essentially between participants, it tin can be challenging to look for patterns, lessening the generalizability and validity of your results.

Semi-structured interviews may exist a good fit for your research if:

You have prior interview experience. Information technology's easier than you call up to accidentally enquire a leading question when coming up with questions on the wing. Overall, spontaneous questions are much more difficult than they may seem.
Your enquiry question is exploratory in nature. The answers yous receive can assistance guide your future research.

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What is an unstructured interview?

An unstructured interview is the most flexible type of interview. The questions and the order in which they are asked are not set. Instead, the interview can proceed more spontaneously, based on the participant's previous answers.

Unstructured interviews are by definition open-concluded. This flexibility can help you lot gather detailed information on your topic, while nonetheless allowing you to notice patterns between participants.

However, so much flexibility means that they can exist very challenging to acquit properly. You must be very careful not to ask leading questions, as biased responses can lead to lower reliability or fifty-fifty invalidate your research.

Unstructured interviews may be a skilful fit for your research if:

You take a solid background in your research topic and have conducted interviews before.
Your research question is exploratory in nature, and you lot are seeking descriptive data that volition deepen and contextualize your initial hypotheses.
Your research necessitates forming a deeper connexion with your participants, encouraging them to experience comfortable revealing their truthful opinions and emotions.

What is a focus grouping?

A focus grouping brings together a group of participants to answer questions on a topic of interest in a moderated setting. Focus groups are qualitative in nature and often report the grouping's dynamic and body language in add-on to their answers. Responses can guide future research on consumer products and services, human beliefs, or controversial topics.

Focus groups can provide more nuanced and unfiltered feedback than private interviews and are easier to organize than experiments or large surveys. Nevertheless, their small size leads to low external validity and the temptation as a researcher to "cherry-pick" responses that fit your hypotheses.

A focus group may be a good fit for your inquiry if:

Your research focuses on the dynamics of grouping discussion or existent-time responses to your topic.
Your questions are complex and rooted in feelings, opinions, and perceptions that cannot be answered with a "yep" or "no."
Your topic is exploratory in nature, and y'all are seeking information that will aid you uncover new questions or future inquiry ideas.

Examples of interview questions

Depending on the type of interview you are conducting, your questions will differ in style, phrasing, and intention. Structured interview questions are set and precise, while the other types of interviews allow for more than open-endedness and flexibility.

Hither are some examples.

Do you like dogs? Aye/No
Do you associate dogs with feeling: happy; somewhat happy; neutral; somewhat unhappy; unhappy

Do yous like dogs? Yes/No
If yes, name one attribute of dogs that you like.
If no, name i attribute of dogs that you don't like.

What feelings do dogs bring out in you?
When you think more deeply virtually this, what experiences would you say your feelings are rooted in?

Recollect back to your babyhood, and tell me about a dog that is very brilliant in your memories, positive or negative. It doesn't accept to be your dog, just the commencement one that comes to mind.

Advantages and disadvantages of interviews

Interviews are a bang-up research tool. They allow you to gather rich data and depict more detailed conclusions than other research methods, taking into consideration nonverbal cues, off-the-cuff reactions, and emotional responses.

All the same, they can also exist time-consuming and deceptively challenging to conduct properly. Smaller sample sizes can cause their validity and reliability to suffer, and there is an inherent take chances of interviewer result arising from accidentally leading questions.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of each blazon of interview that tin assist you make up one's mind if you'd similar to utilize this research method.

Advantages and disadvantages of interviews
Blazon of interview	Advantages	Disadvantages
Structured interview	Can be used for quantitative research Data can be compared High reliability and validity Time-constructive for the interviewer and the respondent	Researcher can't ask additional questions for more clarification or nuance Express scope: you lot might miss out on interesting data Due to the restricted answer options, people might accept to cull the "best fit"
Semi-structured interview	Tin can exist used in quantitative research Relatively high validity Y'all can enquire boosted questions if needed	Lower validity than the structured interview Y'all demand to have skilful conversational skills to get the nigh out of the interview Grooming is time-consuming
Unstructured interview	You lot can enquire additional questions if needed Respondents might feel more at ease You tin collect rich, qualitative data Tin exist used if piffling is known nearly the topic	Low reliability and validity You lot need to have excellent conversational skills to keep the interview going Easy to become sidetracked Hard to compare data Preparation is very fourth dimension-consuming
Focus group	Efficient method, since you lot interview multiple people at once Respondents are often more at ease Relatively cost-efficient Easier to discuss difficult topics	You can ask a express number of questions due to time constraints You demand good conversational and leadership skills There is a higher run a risk of social desirability bias Y'all can't guarantee confidentiality, since there are multiple people present

Frequently asked questions about types of interviews

What is an interviewer effect?: The interviewer result is a blazon of bias that emerges when a feature of an interviewer (race, historic period, gender identity, etc.) influences the responses given past the interviewee.

In that location is a gamble of an interviewer effect in all types of interviews, but information technology tin be mitigated by writing really loftier-quality interview questions.; Social desirability bias is the tendency for interview participants to requite responses that will be viewed favorably by the interviewer or other participants. It occurs in all types of interviews and surveys, but is most common in semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and focus groups.

Social desirability bias can be mitigated by ensuring participants experience at ease and comfy sharing their views. Brand sure to pay attending to your own body linguistic communication and whatever physical or exact cues, such equally nodding or widening your eyes.

This type of bias can likewise occur in observations if the participants know they're being observed. They might alter their behavior accordingly.