The Interview Method

QB5503 Research Practice

 Interviews

 Three types:
1. Structured
2. Semi-structured
3. Unstructured/in-
depth

 Semi/un-structured
interviews most widely
used method in
qualitative research
Forms of interview
Forms of electronic interview
Uses of different types of interview for each research purpose

Exploratory Descriptive Explanatory Evaluative

Structured   
Semi-structured   
Unstructured  
 = more frequent,  = less frequent
Qualitative interviews

 Unstructured or semi-
structured
 Less structured approach
 Less clearly defined
questions
 Emphasis on interviewee’s
point of view, attitudes, and
meanings they attribute to
social reality
 ‘Rambling’ encouraged
 Rich, detailed answers vs
ones that can be coded
Unstructured interviews

 Similar to a
conversation
 No formal
interview guide
or schedule
Semi-structured interviews

 Interview guide
 List of questions and prompts on specific
topics
 Questions may not follow in the same order
as indicated on interview guide
 New questions can emerge and be asked
during interview
Advantages of interviewing
 Issues resistant to
observation
 Reconstruction of events
 Opportunity for reflection
 Ethical considerations
 Longitudinal research
easier
 Greater breadth of
coverage
 Specific focus
 Also, Reactive effects?
Preparing an interview guide (1)

 To stimulate thinking, draw on:

 Random thoughts about the topic
 Discussions with colleagues, friends, relatives
 Existing literature
 Your own experiences
Preparing an interview guide (2)

 Make sure your research questions are open

enough to allow respondents’ views and
perspectives to emerge

 Formulate interview questions in a way that will help

answer your research questions

 Create some order and flow of questions on

interview guide but be prepared to alter order
during interview to allow spontaneity
Preparing an interview guide (3)

 Use simple language

 Do not ask leading questions
 Record ‘basic’ information: e.g. name, age, gender,
position in company, number of years employed,
etc.
 Pilot interviews
 Common practice to provide a copy of interview
guide in written up research account
Study of employees’ use of IT
Help Desk
Interview themes
 Meaning of ‘IT Help Desk’
 Meeting employee needs
 Feeling supported
 How to use the IT Help Desk
 Services IT Help Desk
should be providing
Interview
questions/probes
To what extent does the IT
Help Desk meet your needs?
 In what ways?
 Can you give me an
example of when you
received good support
from the IT Help Desk?
 Can you give me an
example of when you
received insufficient
support from the IT Help
Desk?
Types of issues explored

 Stories  Emotions
 Encounters  Values
 Behaviours  Beliefs
 Feelings  Relationships
 Experiences  Formal and informal
 Perceptions roles
Conducting interviews

 Face-to-
face
Telephone
Internet

“On the Internet, nobody

knows you’re a dog.”
Getting started

 Ethics
 Nature of project
 Consent
 Permission to
record
 Who you are
 Length of interview
 Stopping the
interview
 Types of questions
 Introducing questions
 Follow-up questions
 Probing questions
 Specifying questions
 Direct questions
 Indirect questions
 Structuring questions
 Summarising questions
 Interpreting questions
 Real-life experiences
vs. abstract questions
 Open vs. closed questions
Silence
Ending the interview

 Have you addressed all your

questions?
 Has the interviewee been given
a chance to raise questions
 Ask the interviewee whether
there are any other key issues
you have not raised which they
see as relevant
 Reminders and reassurances
about confidentiality and
anonymity
 A slow exit to allow other
comments to emerge
After the interview

Make notes on:

 Where the interview took place
 How the interview went
 How you felt about the interview process and the
interviewee
 Non-verbal information e.g. body language; things going
on in the background; etc.
 Any other information gathered after the recorder
switched off
What makes a good interviewer?

 Knowledgeable  Remembering
 Structuring  Interpreting
 Clear  Balanced
 Gentle  Ethically sensitive
 Sensitive  Active listening
 Open  Eye contact
 Steering  Comfortable with
 Critical silence
Group Exercise

Scoping your interview Designing your interview

Decide on the general
areas that you will need to
investigate, related to the
research aims, objectives
and questions.
Develop an interview
guide for an in-depth semi-
structured interview that
relates to your assigned
research topic.

See Handout for detailed guidance.