Topic 4 - Interviews

What are Structured Interviews

• Formal interviews with a fixed set of closed questions

• Interviewer reads questions exactly the same way to every participant

• Basically a spoken questionnaire

Which prefer it?

Positivist

Why

• Standardised = reliable

• Easy to compare answers across large samples

Theoretical Evaluation

Feature	Strength	Weakness

Reliability

✅ Very high – standardised

❌ Doesn’t explore meanings

Validity

❌ Low – can’t probe answers

✅ Less interviewer bias

Representativeness

✅ Larger samples than unstructured

❌ Still limited – time-consuming to do many

Generalisability

✅ If sample is random & large

❌ If responses are superficial

Practical

Issue	Explanation

✅ Easy to train interviewers

Scripted and consistent

❌ Less flexible

Can't explore unexpected answers

✅ Faster than unstructured

Especially with short questions

Ethical

✅ Informed consent is straightforward	Especially if students are over 16
⚠ Can feel formal or intimidating	Pupils might give 'safe' answers

What are Semi-Structured Interviews

• Some fixed questions, but room for follow-up questions

• Flexible structure – can explore interesting responses deeper

Which prefer

Mix of Positivist + Interpretivist appeal

• Reliable to some extent (fixed parts)

• Valid because deeper insights possible

Theoretical Evaluation

Feature	Strength	Weakness

Reliability

⚠ Moderate

❌ Less consistent than structured

Validity

✅ Higher – can probe

❌ Interviewer bias risk

Representativeness

⚠ Medium sample sizes

❌ Still time-consuming

Generalisability

⚠ Limited – depends on sample

Practical

Issue	Explanation

✅ Good balance of structure + depth

Suited to education topics

❌ Interviewer training required

Must know how to follow up sensitively

Ethical

| ✅ Rapport helps students open up
| ⚠ Still need to manage sensitive topics carefully

Unstructured Interviews

• More like a guided conversation

• No fixed set of questions — the interviewee leads the direction

Which prefer?

• Seeks rich, qualitative data

• Focuses on meanings, emotions, experiences

Theoretical Evaluation

Feature	Strength	Weakness

Reliability

❌ Very low – can’t repeat accurately

Validity

✅ Very high – captures real thoughts

❌ Interviewer bias risk

Representativeness

❌ Small samples – too time-consuming

Generalisability

❌ Not suitable for general patterns

Practical

Issue	Explanation
❌ Very time-consuming	Hard to do many interviews
❌ Data is hard to analyse	Can’t easily quantify answers
✅ Builds rapport	Interviewee may open up more

Ethical

| ✅ Builds trust – especially for sensitive topics
| ⚠ May raise emotional issues – researcher must be trained in safeguarding