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:
Interview two friends in the group.
Develop an interview guide/list of
questions:
Central topic: which Sports club do
you support and why?
From this: Report your findings.
• Step 1: Make a question-list which
includes at least 4 questions
relevant to the central topic.
• Step 2: Verbally question the first
interviewee and ask your second to
write out their answers to your
questions.
• 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