Research Methods
Basic Qualitative Research Methods
Different Types of Interviews
In today’s lecture
• Interviews with different paradigms
• Interviews with different levels of flexibility
• Interviews conducted by different means
• Interviews recorded in different ways
• Interviews with different types of interviewees
What is interviewing
• Interviewing is questioning human beings in order to
obtain knowledge.
• Interviewing is the most widely employed method in
qualitative research.
• Differences:
1. Philosophical position
2. Flexibility
3. Means
4. Way of recording
5. Type of interviewee
6. Type of data
Different philosophical positions
• Quantitative interviewing: data are gathered
through the standardised questionnaire with
rigidly structured questions and answers.
• Qualitative interviewing: data are gathered
through flexible and non-standardised
questioning.
Different levels of flexibility
• Structured interview
• Unstructured interview
• Semi-structured interview
Questioning techniques
At the most basic level your questions will either be open or closed:
•Open Ended- a question that does not limit the potential answer that a
participant could give and encourages detail.
Could you give me your opinion about which method of coaching is the most
valuable and suggest reasons for this?
•Closed – a question that is presented to a participants that limits potential
answers to a list or “yes” or “no”.
What is your favourite team in football/rugby/cricket/ netball etc?
Other Methods:
- Hypothetical. - Multi- Barrelled. - Observational.
- Behavioural/Competency Based. - Data Recall.
- Reasoning. - Evaluation.
Structured interview
Corbetta (2003)
• All respondents are asked the same questions with the
same wording and in the same sequence.
• Respondents (Interviewees) are free to answer as they
wish.
• A questionnaire with open-ended questions of a lesser
degree of standardization.
• Unable to probe as deeply as unstructured interview
serves.
• Used when the researcher wants to gather data to
describe a given social phenomenon quantitatively
but knows little about that phenomenon.
Unstructured interview
• Neither the content nor the form of the questions is
predetermined.
• The interviewer raises the topics, encourages the
respondent to elucidate further and leads them back
to the main point only if they begin to digress towards
subjects irrelevant.
• When unforeseen but relevant sub-themes arise
during the interview, they will be developed further.
• The timing of interview should be determined by the
respondent.
Semi-structured interview
• The interviewer normally has a list of questions,
which serves as a set of guidelines.
• The interviewer decides in which order the various
topics are dealt with and the wording of the
questions.
• The interviewer is free to develop any themes
arising during the interview.
• Flexibility within a predetermined scheme.
Interview methodology issues
Interviewer effect/bias Leading Questions
This concept refers to the •You must be very careful
possibility that a not to elicit a certain
researcher may influence response from a
or distort opinions. participant.
For example:
I think that the best form
of exercise is swimming,
would you agree with this?
Example interview
View the following Interview with one of the greatest
players ever to play football:
Does the researcher use:
•Open and Closed questions.
•Interviewer bias.
•Leading questions.
•Lionel Messi.
Different means
• Face-to-face interview
• Telephone interview
• Online interview
• Interview by email/mail
Face-to-face interview
• The best way of conducting qualitative
interview.
• Unstructured, semi-structured or informal.
• Conversation with facial expression and body
language.
• Taking notes can be difficult.
• Transcription can be time-consuming.
• The interviewer is able to lead.
Telephone interview
• Unstructured or semi-structured
• Conversation without facial expression and
body language.
• Taking notes can be easier.
• Transcription can be time-consuming.
• The interviewer is able to lead.
Online interview
• Written conversation
• Semi-structured
• Time-consuming
• Easy and accurate transcription
• The interviewer is able to lead.
Interview by email/mail
• Structured
• Follow-up questions are often needed.
• Easy and accurate transcription
• The interviewer is unable to lead.
Different ways of recording
• Notes
• Camera
• Recorder
Notes
• Taken after but not during informal or unstructured
interview.
• Often taken during semi-structured interview.
• More a means of reminding the interviewer rather
than a means of recording data.
• Transcription based upon notes may be less accurate.
• The interviewer does not need the interviewee’s
consent before he takes any notes.
Camera or recorder
• The interviewee’s consent must be gained before a camera
or a recorder is used to record the interview.
• A lot of respondents do not want what they say to be
recorded.
• Problem of reactivity.
• Transcription could be time-consuming but accurate.
• The interviewer may still take notes during or after the
interview.
Different types of interviewees
Flick (2006):
• Interview with a person: individual interests, biographical
account and single case.
• Interview with an expert: interests of his or her capacity
for a certain field or activity, representing a group of
people with specific knowledge or abilities. The interviewer
should be familiar with the topics in order to successfully
conduct an expert interview.
• Interview with focus groups
Seminar Work
Task: • Step 1: Make a question-list which
Interview two friends in the group. includes at least 4 questions
Develop an interview guide/list of relevant to the central topic.
questions:
• Step 2: Verbally question the first
Central topic: which Sports club do interviewee and ask your second to
you support and why? write out their answers to your
questions.
From this: Report your findings.
• Step 3: Explain the differences
between the two interviews.
Required Reading
• The textbook:
Mason, J. (2002) Qualitative Researching (2nd
Ed), London: Sage.
• This week’s required reading:
Chapter 4
