An Interview is a type of guided conversation in which one party poses questions to

the other, while the other participant responds with their responses. The word
"interview" is commonly used to refer to a dialogue that takes place between an
interviewer and an interviewee in a one-on-one setting.

Purposes and Uses of the Interview

• A researcher may interview experts to acquire insight into his problem,
variables, questions, hypotheses, statistical approaches, etc.
• The researcher may also interview experts on questionnaire construction and
validation to enhance his study
• If the topic of the research is a person with abnormalities, the interview may
aim to obtain information from the subject's overt, oral, physical, and emotional
reactions to particular questions for a possible treatment of the abnormalities.
• The researcher may utilize the interview as the main tool for his study or to
supplement other data.

Advantage of the Interview

• It offers more complete and valid information. The respondent is generally
urged for an answer the interviewer can validate immediately. He can check
the truth of the immediately. There is a higher proportion of useful returns.
• Only the interviewee respondent can answer the interviewer's questions, unlike
a questionnaire where filling it out can be delegated or the respondent assisted.
• The interview can be used with all kinds of people, wether literate or illiterate,
rich or poor, laborer or capitalist
• The Interviewer can always clarify points or questions which are vague to the
interviewee
• The interview can observe the nonverbal reactions or behavior of the
respondent which may reveal rich pertinent information.
• Complex questions can be asked with the interviewer around to explain things.
Complex data relevant to the study can be obtained.
• There is some leeway here. If there is a requirement, the interviewer can adjust
the interview or any question so that the needed information can be acquired.

Disadvantage of the Interview

• Sometimes, selected respondent are hard to contact or cannot be contacted at
all because of the distance of their place or due to some other reason.
• It is expensive if many interviewers have to be employed to meet a target date.
the cost of training them and their salaries would entail too much expense.
 • The responses may be inaccurate if the interviewe has no time to consult his
record especially if the needed data involve numerals.
• It is time consuming if only the researcher conducts the interviews.
• It is inconvenient for both the interviewer and the interviewee in terms of time
and sometimes in terms of place. The interviewer has to travel distance .
• There is no anonymity and so the interviewee may withhold some confidential
but vital information, especially if the information may possibly invite trouble.
• There is a tendency if interviewrs to introduce bias because they may influence
their interviewees to give replies that would favor their researcher-employers.
This may happen in political surveys where the candidacy of a certain person
is involved.
• If the interviewer modifies a question, the standardized construction of the
questions is lessened and, categorization and tabulation become a problem .

Types or classes of interview

• Standardized Interview
− is a conversation where an interviewer asks an interviewee set questions
in a standardized order. The interviewee collects the responses of the
candidate and grades them against a scoring system. Asking the same
questions in the same order helps interviewers collect similar types of
information delivered in a uniform context from interviewees.
• Non Standardized Interview
− non-directive interview is an interview in which questions are not
prearranged
− is the most flexible type of interview, with room for
spontaneity. In contrast to a structured interview, the questions and
the order in which they are presented are not set. Instead, the
interview proceeds based on the participant's previous answers.
Unstructured interviews are open-ended

• Semi Standardized Interview

− interview is a data collection method that relies on asking
questions within a predetermined thematic framework.
However, the questions are not set in order or in phrasing. In research,
semi-structured interviews are often qualitative in nature.
− A data collection method for a qualitative study that combines a
formalized list of open questions to prompt discussion with the
opportunity for the interviewer to explore particular themes or
responses further
• Focused interview
− The focused interview is designed to determine the responses of
persons exposed to a situation previously analyzed by the investigator.
Its chief functions are to discover:
 (1) the significant aspects of the total situation to which response has
occurred;
(2) discrepancies between anticipated and actual effects;
(3) responses of deviant subgroups in the population; and
(4) the processes involved in experimentally induced effects.
Procedures for satisfying the criteria of specificity, range, and depth in
the interview are described.

• Non direct interview

− The non-directive interview will be free flowing with little, if any,
direction by the researcher. The respondent can express his or her
personal feelings spontaneously

The Interview Instrument

• Interview schedule
− Is the same as a questionnaire. The procedures of preparing and
validating an interview schedule are the same as those of preparing
and validating a questionnaire.

• Interview Guide
− Does not go into details but it only provides ideas and allows the
interviewer to freely pursue relevant topics in depth. The items for
flexibility in the manner, order, and language of questioning.

Steps in the Instrument (Pointers in Interview)

1.Planning Step(Preparatory Step)
a. Selection of the universe and the locale of the study
b. Selection of the respondent by any valid sampling method
c. Selection of the type of interview whether standardized,
nonstandardized, semistandardized, focused, nondirective, etc. depending
upon the nature of the problem or topic of research
d.Preparetion of the instrument , whether interview guide and
validating or presenting the same.

2.Selecting the place for interview

- The important point is that the place of the interview should be as
quiet and convenient as possible with the least possible distractions.

3. Establishing Rapport
- A cordial and friendly athmosphere must be established between the
interviewer and interviewee.

4. Carrying out the interview

- Carry out the actual interview in a polite, friendly, and
conversational manner.
 5. Recording the interview
- Record the interview immediately but objectively.

6. Closing the interview

- Close the interview with an expression of gratitude and thankfulness
for the information obtained and the time sacrificed by the interviewee.

What to Avoid in Interviews

• Avoid exerting undue pressure upon a respondent to make him participate in

an interview

• Avoid disagreeing or arguing with or contradicting the respondent

• Avoid unduly pressing the respondent to make a reply

• Avoid using a language well over and above the ability of the respondent to
understand

• Avoid talking about irrelevant matters

• Avoid placing the interviewee in embarrassing situation

• Avoid appearing too high above the respondent in education, knowledge, and
social statues

• Avoid interviewing the respondent in an unholy hour