Interviews

What type of method are structured interviews?

Primary Quantitative

Who prefers structured interviews?

Positivists

What type of data is collected from structured interviews?

Quantitative

What is an example of structured interviews?

Young and Wilmott used structured interviews to study the extended families in 1962

What are the practical strengths of using structured interviews?

• Representative- can have a large sample size (Young and Wilmott interviewed 933 people

• Gathers straightforward, quantitative data- easy to analyse as close-ended questions with coded answers are used (e.g. persons age/job/religion/daily routine)

• Higher response rate- questions are less detailed/invasive (only 54/987 people refused to be interviewed by Young and Wilmott)

• Training interviewers is easy and cheap

What are the practical limitations of structured interviews?

• Inflexible- cannot be amended if the hypothesis changes

• Researcher needs prior knowledge of the subject (could take time to train them), unsuitable for studying unfamiliar social phenomena

• They are only snapshots taken at a moment in time, people’s answers could change

What are the ethical strengths of structured/semi-structured/unstructured interviews?

• Sensitivity- the interviewee doesn’t have to answer every question

• Informed consent- the interviewee has consented to being interviewed and knows that they are being studied (Parents of pupils in Jacksons study gave consent and Jackson asked for permission before recording, 1 student was not comfortable with recording so Jackson took notes instead)

• Confidentiality- the interviewee’s identity is often kept anonymous (Jackson ensured pupils that answers would remain private)

What are the ethical limitations of structured/semi-structured/unstructured interviews?

• Power status of the respondent- the interviewee may feel pressured into answering a certain way

• Psychological harm could arise if people aren’t able to expand on answers given

• Sensitivity of topics (Students may not feel comfortable talking about certain subjects: academic attainment, friendships, popularity, etc)

• Extra precautions would need to be taken when dealing with vulnerable groups (children, elderly, etc.)

What are the theoretical strengths of structured interviews?

• Representative- a geographically wide sample can be reached, Positivists: can make generalisations

• Reliable- structured process provides a ‘recipe’ for reproducibility so it can be repeated easily, standardised measuring instrument

• Hypothesis testing- cause and effect relationships can be easily identified, can develop causal laws of social behaviour

What are the theoretical limitations of structured interviews?

• Lack of validity- use of close-ended questions with pre-coded answers doesn’t give interviewees much choice of answer

• Pre-set questions imposes interviewer framework of ideas onto interviewee

• Little freedom to clarify misunderstanding

• Interviewees could lie or exaggerate their answers

• The personal characteristics of the interviewer could affect the results of the interview as interviewees may give different answers (e.g. if a young male is used then schoolboys may play up to seem cool)

• Those with time to be interviewed could be untypical (e.g. more likely to be old/lonely)

Who favours unstructured interviews?

Interpretavists

What is an example of unstructured interviews?

Jackson: Lads and Ladettes in schools

What are the practical advantages of unstructured interviews?

• Allows for development of rapport- people may give more detailed answers

• Large amounts of data are produced

• Very flexible- can allow for a hypothesis to adapt

• Exploratory- follow up questions can be asked to gain more detail, useful to study unfamiliar topics

• Specific information on a certain topic can be gained very quickly (Jackson asked pupils about their attitudes towards school, schoolwork, friends and popularity)

• It can be recorded and re-listened too, so a more relaxed environment can be allowed (Jackson recorded the majority of her interviews with students)

• Easier to check interviewee has fully understood meanings- can ask follow up questions

What are the practical limitations of unstructured interviews?

• Time-consuming (Each interview conducted by Jackson lasted 30 mins and she interviewed 25 pupils across 5 schools), large amounts of data takes time to transcribe

• Access (Jackson’s interviews could only be conducted during school hours)

• Lot’s of information could be hard to quantify or interpret (Jackson covered lots of different topics with different pupils)

• Expensive- interviewer has to be trained in sensitivity

What type of data is gained from unstructured interviews?

Qualitative

What are the theoretical strengths of unstructured interviews?

• Validity- flexibility allows interviewees to be more truthful

• Hypothesis can change as the interview goes on

• High meaning and verstehen (empathetic understanding)- interviewees can discuss topics that matter most to them (Jackson could ask follow-up questions to understand why students answer in that way)

• Authentic- the respondent’s words are their own (interviews were recorded so Jackson could refer back to them)

What are the theoretical limitations of unstructured interviews?

• Data can’t be quantified- not easily comparable unless similar questions are always used, hard to categorise responses (Jackson categorised responses by her interpretation of the interview and on key themes)

• Not repeatable- no set questions or coded answers

• Unrepresentative- small-scale research samples, usually only one social group used (only 25 students in 5 schools, all in year 9, took part in Jackson’s study)

• Unreliable- harder to clarify answers as the interviewee chooses how they respond, Positivist: no standardised measuring instrument- each interview is unique

• Low in accuracy- respondent could be embarassed to admit to things and may feel the need to twist the truth (e.g. pupils may not want to admit their true attitudes to school or their ‘popularity’), the researcher may not record all the data and could paraphrase or misjudge importance of certain data

Why do Feminists reject survey methods such as structured interviews and questionnaires?

Strict division of labour mirrors gender divisions + hierarchies of patriarchal society:

• Researcher has active role in asking questions

• Interviewee has passive role as mere object of study

What does Reinharz say about survey methods?

‘research as rape’

What does Oakley say about survey methods?

positivistic ‘masculine’ approach places high value on objectivity, detachment + hierarchy, use unstructured interviews instead

What does Graham say about survey methods?

Questionnaires + structured interviews give distorted picture of women’s experience, impose researcher categories onto women = difficult to express experience + conceals unequal power relationship between sexes, should use direct observation instead

What is Glaser + Strauss’s grounded theory?

build up and modify hypothesis during course of research itself

How is Feminist research conducted according to Oakley?

• It is value-committed- takes woman’s side + aims to give voice to experience to free from patriarchy

• Requires researcher involvement not detachment

• Aims for equality/collaboration between researcher + researched- no hierarchy + control

How did Oakley conduct her research?

• 178 unstructured interviews with women on motherhood

• Spent 9 hours with each woman + attended some births

• Wanted to involve women as active collaborators/friends, answered questions about herself + gave advice on childcare + helped with housework/childcare = women willingly phoned her with more information

How can Oakley be criticised?

Pawson: nothing Feminist or original about her approach, the same as Interpretavism