This document discusses interview as a method for research. It defines interviews and describes three main types: structured, unstructured, and semi-structured. It outlines advantages like feedback and probing answers, and disadvantages like costs and lack of anonymity. Characteristics of interviewing covered include preparation, sampling techniques, structuring questions, and controlling the interview process. Qualities of a good interviewer and ensuring reliability and validity are also discussed. The document concludes with considerations for recording interviews like equipment and transcription, as well as record keeping.

1. INTERVIEW AS A METHOD FOR RESEARCH

2. SEERAT SHARIF CHISHTI 04
SHEHARBANO 03
MARIA NAZIR 19
MARIA RIAZ 06
ZAINAB AZAM 11
AIMAN KAMRAN 23
SHANZA ASGHAR 26
Presented by

3. Contents
 Definitions
 Types
 Advantages & Disadvantages
 Characteristics
 The Interview process
 Qualities of Interviewer
 Reliability & Validity
 Recording interview data

4. Definitions
 Interview is the verbal conversation between two
people with the objective of collecting relevant
information for the purpose of research.
 A verbal technique for obtaining data direct from
the primary source.
 Interviews are particularly useful for getting the
story behind a participant’s experiences.
(McNamara, 1999)

5. T H R E E T Y P E S O F I N T E R V I E W S
Types of interviews

6. Types of Interviews
 From the strict structural point of view we can
identify three types of interview:
A. Structured Interview
B. Unstructured Interview
C. Semi-structured interviews

7. Structured Interview
 The use of a set of pre-determined questions.
 Highly standardized techniques of recording.
 The use of fixed, alternative questions.
 The use of close ended questions.
 Mostly used in quantitative research.

8. Unstructured Interviews
Also
called
as
Intensive In-depth

9. Cont..
 Non-standardize interviewing.
 Do not follow a list of pre-determined question.
 Freedom to talk on whatever events.
 Provide their own definition of the social situation.
 It is very complex process.
 Use open ended questionnaire.
 It is only used in qualitative research.

10. Semi-structured interviews
 It contains the components of both, structured and
unstructured interviews.
 In semi-structured interviews, interviewer prepares a
set of same questions to be answered by all
interviewees.
 At the same time, additional questions might be
asked during interviews to clarify and/or further
expand certain issues.

11. Other types of interviews
 Standardized interviews
 Closed interviews
 Informal conversational interviews
 Interview guide

12. Advantages & disadvantages

13. Advantages of interviewing
 Opportunity for Feedback – Interviewer can provide
direct feedback to the respondent, give clarifications.
 Probing Complex Answers – Interviewers can
investigate if the respondent’s answer is too brief or
unclear. This gives interviewers some flexibility in
dealing with unstructured questions is especially suited
for handling complex questions.
 Length of Interview – If the questionnaire is very
lengthy, the personal interview is the best technique for
getting respondents to cooperate, without overtaxing
their patience

14. Cont..
 Complete Questionnaires – Respondent will answer
all questions asked, unlike in telephone interview where
the respondent may hang up or in mail questionnaire
where some questions may go unanswered.
 Props & Visual Aids – Interviewers have the
opportunity of showing respondents items such as
sample products, graphs ands sketches, which can aid in
their answers. Respondents can show the encyclopedia,
periodical while asking questions on them.
 High indexing Participation – Interviewing
respondents personally can increase the likelihood of
their participation, many people participate directly.

15. Cont..
 Immediacy
 Mutual exploration
 Investigation of causation
 Personal contact
 Speed
 Helpful for illiterate

16. Disadvantages
 Cost – Personal interviews are usually more expensive
than mail, telephone and internet surveys. Factors
influencing the cost of the interview include the
respondents’ geographic proximity, the length and
complexity of the questionnaire, and the number of non-
respondents.
 Lack of Anonymity – Respondents are not anonymous
in a personal (face-to-face) interview and may be
unwilling to disclose certain information to the
interviewer.
 Necessity for Callbacks – When a person selected for
interview cannot be reached the first time, a callback has
to be scheduled which result in extra cost and time spent.

17. Cont..
 Dishonesty – Interviewers cheat to make their life
easier and save time and effort.
 Global Considerations – Cultural aspects may
influence peoples’ willingness to participate in an
interview (e.g. Brutal Middle Eastern cultures
discourage females from being questioned by male
interviewers).
 Personal style, Style techniques, – The
interviewers approach and individual questioning
demeanor may influence the respondents’ answers.

18. CHARACTERISTICS OF
INTERVIEWING INVOLVES
THE PREPARATION FOR
INTERVIEWING.
Characteristics of
Interviewing

19. Preparation for interviewing
 Preparation for interviewing a researcher will need
to consider following points:
Who should be interviewed?
What questions should be asked?
Where the interviews should take place?

20. Who should be Interviewed? Or Sampling
 Following sampling techniques should be considered
while selecting that who should be interviewed.
1. Purposive Sampling – Every member of a population has an
exactly equal chance to being selected. A sampling technique in
which researcher relies on his or her own judgment when
choosing members of population to participate in the study.
2. Stratified Sampling – Selection of representatives from
within the population who have a range of characteristics
relevant to the research project.

21. Cont ..
3. Convenience Sampling - A specific type
of non-probability sampling method that relies
on data collection from population members
who are conveniently available to participate in
study. Facebook polls or questions can be
mentioned as a popular example for
convenience sampling. Convenience sampling
is a type of sampling where the first available
primary data source will be used for the
research without additional requirements.

22. What questions should be asked?
 It depends on how much the research topic is being
investigated.
 Many of the researchers come up with over long and
unclear interview questions.
 There are two ways of refining these.
1. Ask yourself the following questions; ‘Does everyone of these
questions relate directly to something I need to know?’ then
ask ‘Have I asked about everything I need to know?’
2. Look for pilot interviewees. Carry out a couple of pilot
interviews.

23. Where the interviews should take place?
 Choosing a place with least distraction.
 A place suitable for everyone.

24. The interview process

25. The Interview process
 The interview process involves following steps:
I. Setting up the interviews
II. Structuring interviews
III. Controlling interviews

26. Setting up the interviews
 Once you have decided who you wish to interview
you will need to setup appointments.
 Allow sufficient time for each interviewee for
example for juniors half an hour is sufficient and ask
for an hour from senior staff.
 Finding an appropriate venue for interviews
 Try to avoid telephonic interviews.

27. Structuring the interviews
 Interviewer should have some interviewing
guidelines.
 As the interview goes through extensive stages, it
becomes difficult for the beginners to remember all
of them therefore it is always recommended to have
guidelines.
 For job interviews, interviewer should be careful for
the body language as well furniture of the office.

28. Controlling interviews
Some of the following points should be
considered for controlling interviews:
Give your interviewee some space
Ensure understanding
Keep it relevant

29. Qualities of Interviewer
 Knowledgeable - being familiar with the topic.
Structuring - outline the procedure of the interview.
 Clear - simple, easy and short questions which are
spoken distinctly and understandably.
 Gentle - being tolerant, sensitive and patient to
provocative and unconventional opinions.
 Steering - to control the course of the interview to
avoid digressions from the topic.

30. Cont ..
 Critical - to test the reliability and validity of what
the interviewee tells.
 Remembering - retaining the subject information
from the interviewee.
 Interpreting - provide interpretation of what is
said by the interviewee.

31. Reliability and validity

32. Reliability & Validity
 In interviewing, we have found it useful to practice
what has been termed ‘reflective listening’. In this,
you reflect or repeat back to an interviewee your own
understanding of what has been said, in order to
check that you have understood it correctly and to
address any ambiguities.
 It also provide assurance the you have indeed been
listening carefully. Finally, rephrasing the thoughts
yourself serves as an aid to your own subsequent
recollection of what has been learned.

33. DRAWBACKS
EQUIPMENTS
TO TRANSCRIBE OR NOT?
RECORD KEEPING
Recording Interview Data

34. Recording interview data
 Brenner has pointed out that tape recording removes
a source of potential distraction, and frees the
interviewer to guide the interview, check that
answers are complete and consistent, and plan
future questions.
 Although it has is important to record the interviews
but it has several drawbacks that are need to be
considered.

35. Drawbacks of recording interview
 It reduces the specific outcome of interviewees
volunteering sensitive or embarrassing material.
 Some recorders can be noisy.
 Background noise can cause disturbance.
 It can take hours to listen to taped interviews.

36. Recording equipment
 A recorder has to be small, quiet and generally not
prominent.
 Changing tapes is distracting, choose one which will
take long tapes.
 Make sure you have spare tapes and spare batteries.
 Settings of tapes should not require adjustments.

37. To transcribe or not to transcribe?
 Transcribing an interview takes too much and it is
soul destroying task. It is a time taking process.
 But if every word in the interview is likely to be
important, or if you are likely to be challenged to
produce your evidence, then you may have no choice.
 If you choose not to record , or cannot record, then it
is essential to take notes.
 Non-verbal events or emotions of the interviewee
must be recorded or it should be transcribed or
written.

38. Record keeping
 Whether you tape record of not, it is good practice to
keep a full record of all the interviews you conduct.
 It includes three items of information.
 Who? – This includes the names of interviewees, their position
and any fictitious name you choose to give them.
 When? – This includes the dates and time taken for each
interview.
 Where? – If an interview has been recorded, note the tape
number and counter or time readings for start and end points of
the interview on that tape. If it is then transcribed, make note of a
reference to the transcript. This will enable you to check details.