Interviews

INTERVIEWS

Presenters:Robert FarnsworthRoshani ShresthaArdis HolldorsdottirHannah Schechter

IntroductionBenney and Hughes (1970) stated

that “An interview is the “favored digging tool” of social researchers. They rely largely on verbal accounts to learn about social life.”

(as cited in Taylor and Bogdan, 1998. p. 87).

Historical Men…Charles Booth 1840-1916-Combined census data with interviews,

observations and notes from the London School Board-Determined social class-Produced poverty maps of London

Sigmund Freud 1856-1939-Psychoanalysis

More Historical Men…William Isaac Thomas 1863-1947

-Studied in Germany-Interests in ethnography-Studied Polish immigrants -Wrote book with Florian Znaniecki“The Polish Peasant”

George Gallup 1901-1984-The Gallup Poll-Interviewing public opinion-Global survey in 1976 ofQuality of life around the world-Market research

Original & Current Techniques

Past- War

Torture & Interrogation

Present- Ahhhh- War….Torture & Interrogation

Disciplines Conservation Social Sciences Landscape Architecture Sociology Anthropology Psychology Education Business Media Medicine• War

Types of Interviews

Structured Interviews

Semi-structured Interviews

Unstructured Interviews


Quantitative ApproachDefinition

Interviewer gives a set of predetermined questions or “probes” to the interviewees

AimMeasures facts, attitudes, knowledge, behavior Finding accurate information

without influences from

the researcher

Structured InterviewsRelationship between interviewer and

intervieweeMinimize interactionNo distractions

No flexibilitystrict control over interview

Structured InterviewsConcern While Conducting Interviews

Keeping control of how questions are asked

Using the same questions for all interviewees

Following a fixed orderUsing a rating scale or tick boxEthical considerations


StrengthsControlReliabilitySpeedStructuring

reduces variabilityEfficient use of

time

WeaknessesClose of theoretical avenuesLimit freedom to talkMiss what interviewees think is importantDoes not allow complexity of answers

Structured InterviewsQuality of Data

Framing interview with tacticsData collection processInterpreting interview

Types of InterviewsTelephoneFace-to-faceMail (usually associated with survey research

Structured InterviewsTypes of characteristics Face to face interviews Telephone interviews Mail interviews

Definition Type of interview where the interviewer has direct contact with the interviewee

Type of interview where the interviewer has an indirect contact with the interviewee.

Type of interview where the interviewer doesn’t have any contact with the interviewee.

Quality of data Trained interviewer Trained interviewer Well defined and administrated questionnaire

Sampling From telephone or address From a telephone directory From a complete list of population

Data collection The interviewer contacts each member of the sample to conduct the interview in person

People are interviewed at the time of the first phone call or at another , more convenient time

Eachh member of the sample receives a notice letter in advance, followed by a questionnaire. Then within a week they receive a postcard reminder

Data recording Video, tape recorder, notes Tape recorder Questionnaire Involvement of researcher The researcher has direct

contact with the interviewee, but does not influence the interview

The researcher has phone contact with the interviewee.

The researcher is completely separated from the interviewee

Strength Enables the interviewer to establish rapport with the respondent

Less costly than personal interview Produce results quickly The interviewer has control of the interview More effective when the number of the questions is relatively small and time available to gather data is short

Do not need trained interviewers Minimize sampling error at relative low cost

Weaknesses Higher cost of the survey Expensive Time consuming

Not all people have telephone Telephone directories could be incomplete Necessity of knowledgeable supervisor

They are sensitive to non coverage error Some people are less likely to respond to the questionnaire than others The researcher has little control over what happens to the questionnaire after it is mailed.

Semi-Structured Interviews

Everyone gets the same questions asked, but there is flexibility in how they are asked.

Particularly useful for exploring the views of a subject towards something


Strengths Well suited for exploring attitudes, values, beliefs, and

motives…. Sensitive areas (Barriball, 1993)Non-verbal indicators assist in evaluating

truthfulness/validity and urgency (Farnsworth, 2006)Facilitates getting every question answeredEnsures the respondent is working on his/her ownCan potentially increase response rate…


Weaknesses‘Equivalence of meaning’ difficulties may arise‘Preferred social response’Non-response/particular groups being unrepresentedInvasion of privacyExtenuating circumstancesPrejudices, stereotypes, appearances and/or

perceptions of researcher may alter response


Getting Beyond the ConstraintsConstructing the questionnaire is critical

(Lazarsfeld, 1954)All questions must comply with three

principlesSpecificationDivision Tacit Assumption


Training for the interviews

Developing competency and

understanding of the study

Developing an awareness

of potential errors or biases

Unstructured Interviews

Also known as…Qualitative interviewingNon-directive interviewingNon-standardized interviewingOpen-ended interviewingIn-depth interviewing

Unstructured InterviewsQualitative approach

Definition“…repeated face-to-face encounters

between the researcher and the informants directed toward understanding informants’ perspective on their lives, experiences, or situations as expressed in their own words” (Taylor & Bogdan, 1998, p. 88)

Unstructured InterviewsAim/Logic

Learn what is…Important to the participantsWhat meaning the phenomenon under study has to themTheir point of viewTheir understanding and experiences

Types of in-depth interviewsLife HistoryLearn about events and activities that cannot be observed

directlyTo yield a broad picture of a range of settings, situations, or

peopleGroup interviews

Unstructured InterviewsCreate trust between researcher and

participant

Anonymity and confidentialityFollow cultural rules“nice and gentle”Show interestBe understanding

Unstructured InterviewsTo conduct a good interview

You need to…Be nonjudgmental Ask open questionsAllow people to speakBe a good listenerTolerate the silenceProbe when it is appropriateMake sure you have the right

understanding

Unstructured InterviewsStrengths

Rich dataUnderstand what is

important to the participant

General understanding of provided when little is know about the issue

Important concepts are uncovered that can eventually guide future enquiries

WeaknessesPeople say and do different things in different situationsLanguage barriersTime consumingResearcher’s biasLittle controlAttention not focused on a given issueVery little factual information provided

EthicsInformed consentMake sure the participants understand

what the research is for and where it will be published

Protecting participants by changing names and places when necessary

Nonjudgmental interviewersTrustworthy interviewersConfidentialityMember-checking

Examples in CSSAlicia De la Cruz-Novey

Peruvian TourismComparing three protected areas- rainforest, coast, and

highlandsSemi-structured interviews & archival data

How tour operators and local tourist initiatives can reduce negative impacts on the ecosystem

Questionnaires & archival dataEvaluate socioeconomic changes in communities with tourism plan

Questionnaires, archival data, & literature analysisEvaluation of the cost and effectiveness of different types of

participation for the development and implementation of tourism plans

Examples in CSSShannon Amberg

Perception of risks and benefits of eating fishWill use semi-structured

interviews to understand how media affects people’s choices

Will use the results to write a survey

Conclusion

Remember… Be like Oprah!

Current TechniquesInterviewing for dating services…

And now for some dating fun...

Interviews

Education

Transcript of Interviews