1. Research Methods
Interviews

2. Structured Interview
Simple questionnaire administered by an interviewer who is not allowed to deviate in an way form the questions provided
Interviewer can clarify answers
Interviewer can prompt interviewee

3. Goldthorpe and Lockwood
Used structured interviews in their research
Team of researchers were able to prompt or give guidance to interviewee to help them answer the question
The questions were about whether they had actively done anything about to find a new job
Researchers were able to suggest answers that interviewees would not remember

4. Unstructured Interviews
Takes the form of a conversation where the interviewer has no predetermined questions
Conversation develops naturally
Interviewers can direct the conversation
Most interviews fall somewhere in between
These are semi structured interviews

5. Hannah Gavron ‘The Captive Wife’
Interviewed 76 housewives about their lives
She had a schedule of areas she wanted to cover in each interview
She would only direct the wives to these areas when it was essential
In this way she hoped to avoid influencing the response

6. Advantages Coding answers can lead to statistical data
As you have some sort of structure you can compare answers
Concepts and words can be clarified
Issues can be explained in more depth
Can be useful for creating new hypothesis and theories

7. Cont…. Flexibility, more than any other method
Can ask about motives, feelings, things you cannot observe directly
E.g. R. D. Lang used in depth interviews to study past behaviour and emotional state of people with schizophrenia and their families
Laurie Taylor could only produce data about professional criminals in the U.K as he gained trust and interviewed them

8. Disadvantages Information may be neither valid or reliable
Responses given may not be accurate and may not reflect real behaviour
Respondents may Lie, forget information or lack the information
E.g. some criminals interviewed by Taylor later claimed that they had made up stories about their escapades in order to see how gullible Taylor was

9. Cont….. When reflecting, may alter events
Interviewees may be influenced by presence of interviewer
Influenced by the way interviewees define the situation
E.g The race or gender of the interviewer can influence the responses of the interviewee