1. Lesson Aims
1. Examine the skills needed in order to conduct a good interview 2. Identify the main types of interviews used in sociological research 3. Examine the usefulness of interviews in sociological research

2. Research Methods: Interviews
Tuesday 25th April 2017.

3. When would the use of Interviews be most appropriate in social research?

4. Interviews
Interviews remain the most common data collection method in qualitative research
Interviews are a familiar and flexible way of asking people about their opinions and experiences.

5. Interviews in Sociology
Interview Skills:
Create rapport and trust with respondents. Leads to better results
Start with very general questions, then more specific questions.
Avoid leading questions.
© onlineclassroom.tv 2007

9. No pre-planned schedule - more like a conversation.
Primary Data
Types of Interviews
Structured
Unstructured
No pre-planned schedule - more like a conversation.
Set of identical questions asked in exactly the same way
Asking Questions

10. Semi-Structured Interview
The use of some pre-formulated questions, but no strict adherence to them. New questions might emerge during the conversation
Share the same sort of advantages and disadvantages as unstructured interviews

11. Validity vs Reliability

12. Structured Interviews
Structured Interviews are based on a standardised list of prepared questions administered by an interviewer
Questions can be open and closed

13. Structured Interviews: Advantages
Standardised data collection. (easy to compare respondents) – can elicit quantitative data
High reliability (easy to replicate)
Large numbers, quick, cheap.

14. Structured Interviews: Disadvantages
May lack validity.
Lack of depth [questions may not cover respondent’s experiences].
Lack of flexibility.
Meaning problem. (the same question may be interpreted in different ways by your interviewees)

15. Unstructured interview
Unstructured interviews are like conversations
No pre planned questions
Questions are added or adapted at the interview progresses.

16. Strengths Weaknesses 1. Increase validity and depth
3. Time consuming and expensive
4. Allows for elaboration
5. They are only suitable for relatively small samples
7. They give you a better undertsanding of things from the respondent’s point of view - verstehen
8. The interviewer needs to be highly skilled
2. They are unreliable as this method is not standardised
6. Greater flexibility: can lead to the development of new ideas

17. Louis Theroux makes documentaries for the BBC
Watch a selection of his interviews and make notes on the following Qs:
What would sociologists call this type of interview?
Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of Louis Theroux’s interview style?

18. Louis Theroux makes documentaries for the BBC. The technique he uses to
interview his subjects could be characterised as ‘unstructured’.
His interviews are informal and conversational in style. He tries to get under the
skin of the subjects of his documentaries and to do that he needs to sympathise,
empathise and suspend his disbelief – what Max Weber would call ‘verstehen’.

19. Different stances taken by the interviewer
Non-Directive style of interviewing
The interviewer should adopt a neutral role and avoid any commentary on the answers respondents give, to avoid affecting the answers to later questions.
Would there be any advantages in using a more assertive, aggressive style of interviewing such as the style sometimes seen on news programmes?

20. Different stances taken by the interviewer
Assertive, aggressive style of interviewing
Becker suggests this approach is more likely to squeeze information out of some respondents
This may involve the interviewer playing the devil’s advocate or ‘winding people up’ in the hope of prompting the respondent into saying more

21. Group Interviews Done with multiple interviewees at the same time
WHEN MIGHT THIS BE USEFUL OR APPROPRIATE?
This is used when the researcher is particularly interested in the interaction between the people being interviewed
Group interviews can be transformed into focus groups if you do more than simply ask questions (e.g. case study material, card sorts, deciding a list of priorities etc.)
It is argued that focus groups provide a supportive environment for people to express themselves

24. Limitations of All Interviews:
Interviewer bias – Interviewer may ask leading questions, which is more of a danger in unstructured interview as this can influence the answer. Versheten (pronounced ‘ferchaen’) - try to see it from interviewees perspective, prevents the imputing of meanings and values into research
Interview Effect - may give ‘socially expected’ answers. Hawthorne Effect - Changes in the behaviour of participants resulting from an awareness that they are taking part in an experiment/research.
Lack of ecological validity - cannot tell us how people really behave.
Ethical issues – not informing interviewees the real purpose of interview

25. EXTENSION TASK: Read the statements at the end of your worksheet and indicate whether they apply to structured or unstructured interviews
10 mins

26. TASK: Worksheet – exam practice
10 mins