INTERVIEW

Sari Wahyuni,Ph.D.
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INTERVIEW

• People think it is the same with conversation, no need to develop strategies

• It is not the same, interviewer has to control the content and context of the
interview
• It is different from everyday conversation
• It is a research tool
• Researcher has to write a good report from the interview
• Prepare properly the protocol and focus their questions
• Good interview skills require practice and reflection
• The interviewer becomes student and get other to describe their experiences
in their own terms

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INTERVIEW (continued)

• The researcher’s philosophy determine what is important, ethical,

complete and accurate
• Reciprocal exchanges – structuring and directing the questioning
• Can promote understanding and change, but

• Emphasis is on intellectual understanding

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 Overview
X √
- Interview is a research tool
- Interview is an easy task - Researchers have to take care of the
content and context of interview
- It is not different with - Researchers have to prepare the
conversation research protocol properly.
- No need to develop - They should focus their questions.
- A good interview skiils require
strategy practice and reflection.
- It will flow smoothly - Interviewing is a philosophy of
learning.
 Advantages VS Disadvantages
of Qualitative Interview
Advantages of interview Disadvantages of qualitative
(Seidman, 1991) interview

• Provide high credibility and • require skills and expertise 

flexibility expensive and time consuming
• Interviewer can probe more • participants may say more than
details and ensure the they intend to say.
participants are interpreting • More subjective than
questions the way they are quantitative research
intended. • More reactive to personalities,
• Interviewers have the flexibility moods and interpersonal
to use the knowledge, expertise dynamics
and interpersonal skills.
 Types of Interview
Types of Characteristics When to use? Benefits
interview

Structured • Question is standardized When the literature in topical area is highly • Conducted efficiently by trained
interviews • Little room for variation in developed interviewers
• There are few open-ended questions • Produce consistent data.

Unstructured • No structured interview guide • If there is no study has been done about it • Develop under standing and open
Interviews • Respondents free to express • Researcher know the setting but remain new ways of seeing
themselves in their own way. open for other new variables • can be an important preliminary
• Cannot be started without step for development ice
knowledge and preparation interviews guidance of survey.

Semi-structured • Flexible, allowing next questions to be • When researcher will not get more than • Can be prepared ahead of time
interviews brought up during the interviews as a one chance to interview • Encourages two-way
result of what the interviews says • Interview guide provides clear set of communication.
instructions for interviewers and can • Could confirm what did he interest.
provide reliable, comparable qualitative
data.

Informal • Interviewers talk with people in the • It’s typically done as part of the process of • Do not require scheduling time
interviews field pf informally observing a social setting of interest. with respondents.
• Without use structred interview • In the early stages of the development of • Low pressure interaction and allow
guides an area of inquiry, where there is little respondent to speak more freely
• Interviewers use joting or brief notes literature describing the setting, culture or and openly.
• Resembles a chat issues of interest. • An essential part of gaining an
• Question will flow from immediate • Requires an interviewer who is very understanding of setting and its
context knowledgeable and experienced int he member’s ways of seeing.
• On going participant content area • As a foundation for developing and
conducting more structured
interviews.
 INFORMAL INTERVIEW

• Talks to people informally without use of structured guide

• Useful for exploring interesting topics for investigation and are
typical of ongoing participant observation fieldwork
• Process of observing a social setting of interest
• Require knowledgeable interviewer and experience in the
area of research and strong interpersonal skills
• Like conversation therefore low pressure to the participants

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 Preparing for an interview

• Analyse your research problem

• Understand what information you need
• See who would be able to provide it
• Pilot study
• How much time
• Prepared the interview guide
• Record the information
• Create a reason or reward for the respondent
• Prepare all resources
STEPS OF INTERVIEW

1. Pre Interview

2. The Interview

3. Post Interview

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1. PRE INTERVIEW

• Analyze research problem and focus of research questions

• Understand what information you need

• See who would be able to provide it

• Pilot study

• How much time needed

• Social convention
• Create reason or reward the respondent
• Prepare all resources related to the interview

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2. THE INTERVIEW

• Orient the respondents

• Use simple and understandable language

• Leave the respondent to provide answer

• Develop relationship with interviewee
• Careful on sensitive questions
• Gesturing, body language
• Eye contact
• Recording interview

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Gesture

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Interview

• Plan your time

• Interview is a skill you should rehearse &
practice with regards to understanding,
time taken, your own argument &
question
 Interview

Source: Ghauri p.138

The Interview
• To orient the respondents
– The purpose of the interview and the advantage of the
respondent to be included in the research.
– Address terms of confidentiality.
– Explain the format of the interview.
– Indicate how long the interview usually takes.
– Provide contact information of the interviewer.
– Allow interviewee to clarify any doubts about the interview.
• Use simple & understandable language
– Must leave entirely to informant to provide answer to
questions
– Control time
– Develop relationship with interviewee
– Careful about sensitive question
• Gesturing
• Eye contacts
• Power lunch
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Probing
Probes: elaboration on a specific subject
How to probe:
• Getting more information without injecting
yourself too much
– Silent probe – wait for answer/expansion
– Echo probe – repeat what’s said and ask for more
– Back channel – uh-huh
– Tell-me-more – “how do you feel about that?”
– Long question – you elaborate
– Phased assertion – reveal what you know
Probing
How to probe:
– sit and wait
– take the last statement and turn it into a question
– make a non-committal response (simply nod your head,
etc.)
– ask for examples
– "Was ... this what you expected?"
– "How so/how not?"
– "How did you feel about this?"
– "Could you elaborate on this?"
– "You talked previously about ..., can you tell me more
about that?"
– If something is left out at the end of the interview,
mention it and find out why it is left out.
Asking Question
– What is interesting from the respondent’s
point of view?
– What is interesting from the researcher’s
point of view?
– "Why" questions should be translated into
"how" questions.
– "Why" questions often result in justifications.
– "How" questions tell you something about
the process.
HOW TO HANDLE
a CRYING
RESPONDENT?

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The Interview Tips
• Establishing Rapport
 Accessing the setting and deciding how to
present oneself
 Build positive image
 Develop trust
 Understanding the language and culture of
the respondent
 Locating an informant
 Collecting empirical materials
Post-interview

• Write down the important point

• Thank you letter
• Go through your interview notes properly
The Closing
At the end of the interview ask:
• "Do you think that important things were
left out? Which topics?"
 
GOOD QUESTIONS

• Short and precise

• One question at a time
• No given or implied answer
• Interviewee language: dialects, jargon, idiom, slang etc.
• Avoid “why” type questions
• Controversial matters
• Question alternatives:
– Declarative statement
– Reflective statement
– Declaration of perplexity
– Invitation to elaborate
– Deliberate silence 25
QUALIFICATION FOR GOOD INTERVIEWER

• Knowledgeable with the topic

• Structure of the interview
• Clear, simple, easy and short questions, distinct and understandably
• Gentle tolerant sensitive patient to provocative and unconventional
opinions
• Control the course of interview
• Critical to test the reliability and validity of what interviewee tells
• Retaining the information from the interviewee
• Provide interpretation what is said by the interviewee

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TRAINING THE INTERVIEWERS

1. THEORETICAL ASPECTS:
 Objectives of the study
 How to conduct in-depth interview
 Possible implementation problems
 Analyze data and write a report

2. PRACTICAL ASPECTS:
 Introduction about the research
 Manage the flow of interview
 Role play
 Pilot testing
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