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> Definitions > Defining Data Collection Methods > Interviewing
Defining Data Collection Methods
Interviewing
The Interview
The interview is a method where on a one-to-one basis, the researcher
attempts to collect data from the interviewee using open questions,
semi-structured questions or structured questions (or a combination
of all three).
The interview is focused upon the interviewee in the sense that
the views the interviewer has about the topic are not particularly
important. The views, knowledge or whatever of the interviewee is
the primary data for the research.
Interviewer skills
To be an effective interviewer a researcher needs of the following
skills and abilities:
- an ability to listen
- an ability to be non-judgmental
- a good memory
- ability to think on his/her feet
Interview Types
Unstructured interview
An structured interview is an interview where the interviewer begins
with simply a set of general questions. The interviewer will usually
have some general themes that he/she wishes to pursue but the overall
intervention is to encourage the interviewee to express his/her opinions,
given his/her views on the issues at hand.
An unstructured interview is a difficult and complex task. It
should not be carried out by researchers who have minimal interview
skills.
Structured interviews
A structured interview is an interview with the
interviewer has a schedule of questions that he/she wishes answered
by the interviewee. Little allowance is made for any more open responses
on the part of the interviewee. Most of the questions will be the closed
form, there is the question will have a set of recordable answers (e.g.
agree or disagree).
Semistructured interviews
The semistructured interview is basically a mix
of the unstructured and structured. That is the semistructured interview
will have some open questions plus some closed questions.
The skills required to carry out semistructured
interviews are quite complex. Therefore it is not advisable for researchers
with limited to interview skills to carry out semistructured interviews.
Recording Interview Data
The best way to record the data from an interview is through a tape
or digital recorder.
Having said that, there are some real qualifiers:
- You must tell your interviewee that he/she is being recorded - if
he she refuses, you must turn the machine off.
- Many people are uncomfortable with a tape/digital recorder. If they
are very uncomfortable, this will distract from the content of the
interview.
- Some people are concerned about who might hear the tape. In some
circumstances, this can be a real fear. Again, if this is a problem
for the interviewee, turn off the machine.
- For every hour of tape you collect, you will have about an hour
of analysis - probably more.
Writing down what is being said is one way out, but it detracts
from a semistructured or unstructured interview. You cannot psychologically
note how the interviewing is responding if you have you nose in a notebook
- electronic or paper.
If you have to make a physical recording you should make notes, using
some form of shorthand, rather than trying to take the interview down
verbatim.
The experienced interviewer, who is unable to record the interviewer,
will rely on a combination of memory and basic notes. Immediately after
the interview, he/she will make a fuller set of notes.
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