What are interviews?:

• Interviews are conversations between a researcher and a respondent about a certain topic of interest

• The range of questions, both open-ended or closed, which may or may not follow a specific interview schedule

Types of interviews:

• Structured: Face-to-face from a list of standardised questions

• Semi-structured: Face-to-face, some standardised questions but with the ability to ask follow-up questions

• Unstructured: Face-to-face in a less formal setting with themes to discuss, rather than set questions, giving the researcher flexibility to take the interview in whichever direction they choose

• Group interview: Often referred to as focus groups- Can be structured, semi-structured or structured

The usefulness of interviews:

• Higher response rate than questionnaires

• Can provide quantitative and qualitative data depending on the structure of the questions

• Can explain and clarify questions and develop a rapport with respondents to gain more valid responses

• Structured interviews can be repeated, so high reliability

The practical issues with interviews:

• Cost: Training and recruiting of interviewers can be expensive

• Time: It can be time-consuming to gain a representative sample and to transcribe and analyse findings

• The skill level required for interviewers varies depending on the structure on the structure of the interview

Ethical issues with interviews:

• Can be useful for socially sensitive issues, however, they may cause respondents to recall psychologically upsetting memories

• Revealing information in group interviews may be distressing or have consequences

• Anonymity and confidentiality of responses need to be guaranteed as they could cause distress to respondents if their experiences are revealed to others

• Illegal or immoral activities may be disclosed during interviews which presents researchers with an ethical dilemma

Theoretical issues with interviews:

• Issues of validity: Interviewer’s presence may mean people give socially desirable answers

• Interactions with the interviewer may also be influenced by the theoretical preferences of an interviewer

• Depending on the format, interviews can have issues with reliability and the ability to generalise

• Positivists prefer structured interviews, whilst interpretivists favour unstructured interviews

Examples of interviews:

• Becker: Unstructured interviews with teachers to formulate ideas of ‘Ideal Pupils’

• Carlen: Unstructured interviews when assessing gender and criminality

• Willis: Unstructured and group interviews as part of studying anti-school subcultures in ‘Learning to Labour’