Presented By

Dr. Jyoti Hermit

Assistant Professor - Department of English,
Ewing Christian College, Allahabad
 The task of data collection begins after a research problem has
been defined and research design/ plan chalked out.
 There are two types of data-primary and secondary.
 The primary data are those which are collected afresh and for
the first time, and thus happen to be original in character.
 There are several methods of collecting primary data,
particularly in surveys and descriptive researches. Important
ones are: (i) observation method, (ii) interview method, (iii)
through questionnaires, (iv) through schedules etc.
 Interview is the verbal conversation between two people with
the objective of collecting relevant information for the purpose
of research.
 The interview method of collecting data involves presentation of
oral-verbal stimuli and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses.

Interviews In Research Methodology

Interviews In Research Methodology
 P.V. Young: ‘A scientific method through which a person
enters into the life of a stranger’
 Good & Hatt: ‘Interview is a close face to face
conversation or a dialogue between the investigator or
interviewer and interviewee. OR It is a process of social
interaction between interviewer and interviewee’
 Kerlinger: ‘A face to face interpersonal situation in which
one ask questions from the other to get answer about a
social problem’

Interviews In Research Methodology

1. Collect information about an existing social
problem
2. Create relation between interviewer and
interviewee
3. Gain inner feelings of the respondent
4. Create a source of knowledge
5. Provide rich hypothesis
6. Reduce the distance between human beings
7. Observe the situation quickly
8. Collect additional information
9. Draw quantitative facts.
10. Gain new knowledge about an area.
Interviews In Research Methodology
 Interviews are completed by the interviewer based on the
inputs from respondent.
 Interviews are far more personal form of research than
questionnaires.
 Unlike the mail surveys, interviewer has the opportunity to
probe or ask follow-up questions.
 Interviews are generally easier for respondents, especially if
what is sought is opinions or impressions.
 Interviews are time consuming and they are resource
intensive.
 Interviewer is considered as part of the measurement
instrument and has to be well trained on how to respond to
any contingency.

Interviews In Research Methodology

Structured Interview
 This is also known as a formal interview (like
a job interview).
 The questions are asked in a set /
standardized order and the interviewer will
not deviate from the interview schedule or
probe beyond the answers received (so they
are not flexible).
 These are based on structured, closed-ended
questions.

Interviews In Research Methodology

1. Structured interviews are easy to replicate
as a fixed set of closed questions are used
which are easy to quantify – this means it is
easy to test for reliability.
2. Structured interviews are fairly quick to
conduct which means that many interviews can
take place within a short amount of time. This
means a large sample can be obtained
resulting in the findings being representative
and having the ability to be generalized to a
large population.

Interviews In Research Methodology

1. Structure interviews are not flexible. This
means new questions cannot be asked
impromptu (i.e. during the interview) as an
interview schedule must be followed.
2. The answers from structured interviews lack
detail as only closed questions are asked which
generates quantitative data. This means a
research will won't know why a person behaves
in a certain way.

Interviews In Research Methodology

 These are sometimes referred to as
‘discovery interviews’ & are more like a
‘guided conservation’ than a strict structured
interview. They are sometimes called
informal interviews.
 An interview schedule might not be used,
and even if one is used, they will
contain open-ended questions that can be
asked in any order. Some questions might be
added / missed as the Interview progresses.

Interviews In Research Methodology

1. Unstructured interviews are more flexible as
questions can be adapted and changed depending
on the respondents’ answers. The interview can
deviate from the interview schedule.
2. Unstructured interviews generate qualitative
data through the use of open questions. This
allows the respondent to talk in some depth,
choosing their own words. This helps the
researcher develop a real sense of a person’s
understanding of a situation.
3. They also have increased validity because it
gives the interviewer the opportunity to probe for
a deeper understanding, ask for clarification &
allow the interviewee to steer the direction of the
interview etc.

Interviews In Research Methodology

1. It can be time consuming to conduct an
unstructured interview and analyze the
qualitative data (using methods such as
thematic analysis).
2. Employing and training interviewers is
expensive, and not as cheap as collecting data
via questionnaires. For example, certain skills
may be needed by the interviewer. These
include the ability to establish rapport &
knowing when to probe.

Interviews In Research Methodology

 These Personal Interviews should usually follow the below 5
stages in order to be effective:

1. Rapport Building: Interviewer should increase the

respondent’s receptiveness by making him believe that his
opinions are very useful to the research, and the interview
process is going to be a pleasure rather than an ordeal.

2. Introduction: An introduction involves the interviewer

identifying himself by name, the interview purpose and his
sponsorship if any. An introductory letter goes a long way in
conveying the study’s legitimacy.

3. Probing: Probing is the technique of encouraging the

respondents to answer completely, freely and relevantly.

Interviews In Research Methodology

4. Recording: The interviewer can either write the response at
the time of interview or after the interview. In certain cases,
where the respondent allows for it, audio or visual aids can
be used to record answers.

5. Closing: After the interview, interviewer should thank the

respondent and once again assure him about the worth of his
answers and the confidentiality of the same.

Interviews In Research Methodology

 In Telephone Interview, the information is collected from
the respondent by asking him questions on the phone. The
combination of telephone and computer has made this
method even more popular.

✓ Telephone interviews enable a researcher to gather

information rapidly.

✓ Like personal interviews, they allow for some personal

contact between the interviewer and the respondent.

Interviews In Research Methodology

Focus Group Interview is an unstructured interview which
involves a moderator leading a discussion between a small
group of respondents on a specific topic.

Focus Group Interview results in advantages summed up as

the following10 S.
✓ Synergism
✓ Snowballing
✓ Stimulation
✓ Security
✓ Spontaneity
✓ Serendipity
✓ Specialization
✓ Scientific Scrutiny
✓ Structure
✓ Speed

Interviews In Research Methodology

1. Group interviews generate qualitative data
through the use of open questions. This allows
the respondents to talk in some depth,
choosing their own words. This helps the
researcher develop a real sense of a person’s
understanding of a situation.
2. They also have increased validity because
some participants may feel more comfortable
being with others as they are used to talking in
groups in real life (i.e. it's more natural).

Interviews In Research Methodology

1. The researcher must ensure that they keep the
interviewee’s details confidential and respect their
privacy. This is difficult when using a group
interview. For example, the researcher cannot
guarantee that the other people in the group will
keep the information private.
2. Group interviews are less reliable as they use
open questions and may deviate from the
interview schedule making them difficult to
repeat.
3. Group interviews may sometimes lack validity as
participants may lie to impress the other group
members. They may conform to peer pressure and
give false answers.

Interviews In Research Methodology

 With this type of interview, the interviewer
and the interviewee are face-to-face via
webcam technology. It offers the same
benefits as a traditional face-to-face
interview, and recording either the audio or
the video output is a good idea in order to
transcribe it and refer back to the transcript
as a reference.
 This type of interviewing technique is also
useful when distance prohibits a face-to-face
interview

Interviews In Research Methodology

 With this type of interview, there is no need for
any face-to-face or direct interaction with the
person being interviewed. The interview
questions are emailed, and the responses are
received via email.
 The benefit of this type of interview is that a
transcript in digital form is already made once
the responses are returned
 However, it is difficult to watch for social cues or
ask additional questions based on responses in
real time. Sometimes this results in receiving
less information than via a telephone, webcam
or face-to-face interview.

Interviews In Research Methodology

 With this type of interview, interview is
conducted over an instant messaging service,
such as Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk or MSN
Messenger.
 Since this type of interviewing technique is
done in real time, the benefit of adapting
the questions or asking additional questions
based on the responses received are there.
 The length of responses might be shorter
with this type of interview, but a copy of the
chat session for an already-made digital copy
of the interview can be saved.

Interviews In Research Methodology

Depth Interview is nondirective in nature where
the respondent is given freedom to answer within
the boundaries of the topic of interest.

Interviews In Research Methodology

 Choose whether to use a structured or non-
structured interview.
 Consider who will be the interviewer, and this
will depend on what type of person is being
interviewed. There are a number of variable to
consider:
a. Gender and age: This can have a big effect on
respondents answer, particularly on person issues.
b. Personal characteristics: Some people are easier
to get on with than others. Also, the accent and
appearance (e.g. clothing) of the interviewer can
have an effect on the rapport between the
interviewer and interviewee..
c. Ethnicity: People have difficulty interviewing
people from a different ethnic group.
Interviews In Research Methodology
 Interviewers should be carefully selected, trained and
briefed
 Should be honest, sincere, hardworking, impartial and
must possess the technical competence and necessary
practical experience.
 Occasional field checks required to ensure that
interviewers are neither cheating, nor deviating from
instructions given to them
 Create friendly atmosphere of trust and confidence, so
that respondents may feel at ease while talking
 Interviewer must ask questions properly and intelligently
and must record the responses accurately and completely
 Interviewer’s approach must be friendly, courteous,
conversational and unbiased
 Interviewer should not show surprise or disapproval of a
respondent’s answer

Interviews In Research Methodology

(i) More information and that too in greater depth can be
obtained.
(ii) Interviewer by his own skill can overcome the resistance, if
any, of the respondents; the interview method can be made to
yield an almost perfect sample of the general population.
(iii) There is greater flexibility under this method as the
opportunity to restructure questions is always there, specially
in case of unstructured interviews.
(iv) Observation method can as well be applied to recording verbal
answers to various questions.
(v) Personal information can as well be obtained easily under this
method.
(vi) Samples can be controlled more effectively as there arises no
difficulty of the missing returns; non-response generally
remains very low.
(vii) The interviewer can usually control which person(s) will
answer the questions. This is not possible in mailed
questionnaire approach. If so desired, group discussions may
also be held.
Interviews In Research Methodology
(viii) The interviewer may catch the informant off-guard and
thus may secure the most spontaneous reactions than would
be the case if mailed questionnaire is used.
(ix) The language of the interview can be adopted to the ability
or educational level of the person interviewed and as such
misinterpretations concerning questions can be avoided.
(x) The interviewer can collect supplementary information
about the respondent’s personal characteristics and
environment which is often of great value in interpreting
results.

Interviews In Research Methodology

(i) It is a very expensive method, specially when large and
widely spread geographical sample is taken.
(ii) There remains the possibility of the bias of interviewer as
well as that of the respondent; there also remains the
headache of supervision and control of interviewers.
(iii) Certain types of respondents such as important officials or
executives or people in high income groups may not be
easily approachable under this method and to that extent
the data may prove inadequate.
(iv) This method is relatively more-time-consuming, specially
when the sample is large and recalls upon the respondents
are necessary.
(v) The presence of the interviewer on the spot may over-
stimulate the respondent, sometimes even to the extent
that he may give imaginary information just to make the
interview interesting.

Interviews In Research Methodology

(vi) Under the interview method the organisation required for
selecting, training and supervising the field-staff is more
complex with formidable problems.

(vii) Interviewing at times may also introduce systematic errors.

(viii) Effective interview presupposes proper rapport with

respondents that would facilitate free and frank responses. This
is often a very difficult requirement.

Interviews In Research Methodology

 THANK YOU

Interviews In Research Methodology