INTERPRETING COMMUNICATION RESEARCH Survey Interview Research Chapter 5

Introduction to the Method An interview involves the presentation of oral questions by one person to another Questions are posed orally to a sample of Ss for the purpose of drawing inferences about the population the Ss represent

Advantages and Disadvantages of Survey Interviews when Ss lack in reading skills when researchers ask difficult questions that need explanation opportunities to establish rapport researchers can probe interviews typically produce a higher response rate Disadvantages the interviewer can affect the data, e.g., if he/she is not consistent the interviewer’s looks might affect the Ss’ responses interviews in person are more costly than questionnaires

Some Decisions to Make To interview over the telephone or face-to-face Face-to-face: individually or in a group individual interviews are typical but some times a Focus Group technique is used in a focus group a facilitator leads a group of about 5 -7 Ss in a relatively unstructured discussion the focus group could be used to get ideas for a questionnaire