Conducting an interview requires skill to create an atmosphere of openness and trust. The interviewer must schedule interviews at convenient times for respondents and avoid seeming judgmental. While interviews provide immediate answers and flexibility, respondents may feel uneasy giving certain answers or try to please the interviewer. Questionnaires standardize responses but have lower response rates than interviews. Observation directly watches phenomena unfold but can miss details and lose objectivity.

1. Conducting interview
 Talking to somebody is a very easy task yet conducting an
interview require a skill.
 An interview is a social interaction and therefore the
interviewer has to create an atmosphere of friendship with
the informant.
 As a interviewer, you must begin by making an appointment
at a date and time convienient to respondent so that she/he
can give you honest open answers.
 Sometimes speaking to an informant before the actual
interview may help create an atmosphere of friendship.

2. Conducting interview cont.
 While carrying out the interview, avoid being
judgmental, giving clues and showing expressions of
approval or disapproval.
 The interviewer must not direct the respondent answers
through his/her tone of voice or through the way he/she
phrases a question, e.g. 'You agree with us that this is
right, don't you?

3. Interview
Advantages
 You can use an interview with
people who cannot read or write.
 It provides immediate answers
 It is flexible and allows you to
make changes where necessary
 An interview gives you a chance
to observe the respondent
 The respondent can be asked to
clarify unclear answers and can
follow up on interesting answers
Disadvantages
 The respondent may not feel
free to give certain answers
in your presence.
 The respondent may try to
please you by giving you
misleading answers that
she/he thinks are the
answers you are expecting.

4. Questionnaire
 A questionnaire is a list of questions each with a range
of answers from which the respondent can choose.
 The questionnaire can either be structure or
unstructured.
 However, most of the questionnaire are designed in a
structured manner, where the respondent is given
alternatives from which to choose.

5. Questionnaire
 Usually, using Likert scale which allows the respondent to
evaluate idea or attitude statements along four or five point
scale.
 For example Strongly
agree_____ Agree_____disagree_____ Strongly
agree_____
 The open ended questions allow the respondent to answer
the questions in their own way.
 For example, Foreign Aid always has strings attached.
 The respondent will freely express his opinion about the
assertion made.

6. Questionnaire
Advantages
 Data to be gathered is in a standardised
format
 The questionnaire is easy to design
 Data collected is ready for analysis
 The questionnaire is good for gathering
information from a large population or
cases
 The questionnaire can easily be
answered
 If the data is gathered from statistical
sample, the findings may be generalized.
Disadvantages
 The questionnaire has a problem of high
rate of non return.In other words most
the researcher will only receive 60
percent of questionnaire distributed which
may result in a biased sample
 Gives the researcher only limited access
to in-depth experience and feelings
 It provides a limited chances for
respondent to answer questions in their
own way
 It is mostly effective in a large sample
 The questionnaire may exclude some
groups of people

7. Observation sheet
 Observation is the collection of data by watching somethings
happen in real life situation and do the recording as the events
unfold.
 The use tally marks is very important and one should make a tally
whenever the observed behaviour occurs.
 The observation can be divided into simple
observation and participant observation.
 In simple observation, the observer is not part of the process that
is being researched, but an objective outsider.
 Simple observation collects data as it unfolds, while in participant
observation the observer is involved in a group of people who are
subject of research.

8. Observation
Advantages
 Takes place in the real world
 Can provide a clear picture of the
social phenomena observed
 Information collected through
observation is reliable and
accurate
 Data collected through participant
is loaded and detailed
 Observation does not need the
skill of communication
Disadvantages
 It can be difficult to decide
what to observe and record
 Observation is time-
consuming
 Researcher can become
bored and lose objectivity
 It is difficult to observe
everything
 In participant observation
people may pretentious in
their actions