Research Assignment.ppt
- 1. Assignment /Micro-teaching/ qualitative research method What is interview method of research? Content Definitions, features/characteristics, types of interview , advantages disadvantages and illustration
- 2. What is Interview Method of Qualitative Research? • An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data. • Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions. • An interview is a goal-driven transaction characterized by questions and answers, clear structure, control, and imbalance. • The interview is an important data gathering technique involving verbal communication between the researcher and the subject. • Interviews are commonly used in survey designs and in exploratory and descriptive studies.
- 3. What is Interview Method… • An interview is usually a dyadic transaction, meaning that it takes place between two people. • A talk show host asking questions of a celebrity would be one example of a dyadic interview. • Sometimes, however, a person may be interviewed by two or more people or in a panel situation. • The interview as a method of qualitative data collection involves two people discussing a specific human or social issue.
- 4. What is Interview Method… • Using interview techniques, the researcher commonly aims to obtain the perspective of the interviewee by interpreting the meaning of the described phenomena (Kvale, 1996, p. 6). • This flexible technique allows the interviewer and interviewee to elaborate on the topic to pursue an idea or response in greater detail. • KVALE (1983, p.174) defines the qualitative research interview as "an interview, whose purpose is to gather descriptions of the life-world of the interviewee with respect to interpretation of the meaning of the described phenomena".
- 5. Characteristics of an Interview… Interviews encompass unique characteristics that distinguish them from other types of communication. In what follows, we examine five characteristics of interviews: (1) goal-driven, (2) question–answer, (3) structured, (4) controlled, and (5) unbalanced
- 6. Characteristics of an Interview… Goal-Driven Interviews are generally more goal-driven than other types of communication, especially those taking place between two people. All communication achieves something beyond the simple exchange of symbols, but these achievements and creations are not always purposeful and intended. Interviews have a clear purpose, a goal to be achieved. Information may be desired, a problem may need to be resolved, persuasion may be desired, someone may need assistance with a personal problem, or an employer may be seeking the best person for a job opening and a potential employee may be looking for a good employer.
- 7. Characteristics of an Interview… Question–Answer Another characteristic of interviews is the question– answer nature of the transaction. The majority of an interview consists of one person (sometimes more than one) asking questions and another person answering those questions. Everyday communication includes occasional questions and answers—especially if people are getting to know one another—but not to the extent of an interview. Furthermore, in most everyday communication, it is not usually the case that one person is in charge of asking the questions while the other person is in charge of answering them.
- 8. Characteristics of an Interview… Structured Interviews also tend to be more structured than other types of communication. Whereas a casual interaction between two people may happen spontaneously and have no clear focus, interviews involve planning and preparation and also tend to have a clear sequence. Certain actions are expected during an interview in order to reach the clearly defined goal discussed previously. We write more about the planning and sequence of interviews later in the chapter.
- 9. Characteristics of an Interview… Controlled Interviews are generally controlled by an interviewer, who is responsible for moving the interview toward its intended goal. The amount of control exerted during an interview depends on this goal, which is achieved in part by the questions asked and the communication environment established. Once again, this—specifically whether an interview is characterized as directive or nondirective.
- 10. Characteristics of an Interview… Unbalanced A final characteristic of interviews is that the time spent talking by an interviewee and an interviewer is usually unbalanced. Typically, an interviewer will speak for 30% of the time, and an interviewee will speak for 70% of the time. Of course, the type of interview will dictate exactly how much time each party spends talking, but more often than not, an interviewee will talk more and an interviewer will talk less.
- 11. Types of interview method in qualitative research Employment Interviews When people think of interviews, an employment interview is probably what comes immediately to mind. Employment interviews are those in which a potential employer interviews a potential employee. Both parties have a great deal riding on the success of an interview. The potential employee is not only seeking employment but also determining whether the job is one that would be accepted if offered. The potential employer is searching not only for a qualified applicant but also for someone who would actually benefit the organization. Potential employers also want to convince potential employees that the position is one they should accept if offered.
- 12. Types of interview method in… Performance Interviews Also known as performance reviews, performance interviews are those in which an individual’s activities and work are discussed. These interviews are most often conducted between employees and supervisors, but you may also experience them in educational and other settings. For instance, students frequently discuss their progress toward a degree with an advisor or perhaps even a committee of professors
- 13. Types of interview method in… . In both situations, a person’s strengths and weaknesses are discussed with the ultimate goal being to improve his or her performance. Naturally such interviews can be stressful, but they can also provide people with valuable information that can be used to strengthen their performance and to help them achieve personal and professional goals. These interviews are also an opportunity for the goals and culture of an organization to be reinforced.
- 14. Types of interview method in… Exit Interviews Exit interviews are those that occur when a person chooses to leave a place of employment. The conventional wisdom is that someone who is leaving may be more likely to provide honest answers about organizational cultures, policies, supervisors, compensation, and other aspects of the workplace. If used correctly, these interviews can provide employers with valuable insight that can be incorporated to improve employee satisfaction and thus the productivity and success of an organization. These interviews are also increasingly common in education and among multiple types of groups, such as volunteer organizations.
- 15. Types of interview method in… Information-Gaining Interviews You may have previously experienced an information- gaining interview and not even realized it as such. Information gaining interviews are those in which a person solicits information from another person. You have likely responded to surveys, which is one form of information-gaining interview. A doctor asking you about your symptoms during an office visit would be another example of this form of interview. You may conduct information-gaining interviews when preparing speeches and papers for school or work. These sorts of interviews are also frequently seen on webcasts and included in newspapers, magazines, and blogs.
- 16. Types of interview method in… Persuasive Interviews Persuasive interviews are those that have influence as the ultimate goal. The interviewer may appear to be gaining information but is actually attempting to influence the thoughts or actions of the interviewee. This form of interview may sound a bit manipulative and perhaps underhanded, but it is quite common. When salespeople ask your opinion about a product or service, they often do so in a way that attempts to sway you toward what they want you to purchase. At other times, what appears to be a survey is in reality an attempt to persuade.
- 17. Types of interview method in… Political workers have frequently been accused of dirty tricks under the guise of conducting straightforward surveys. They attempt to plant a seed of doubt or concern in the mind of the interviewee. For instance, imagine being asked, “If the incumbent were convicted of running a cockfighting ring, would this influence your vote in the upcoming election?” Depending on your opinion of roosters or animal cruelty in general, it would or would not affect your vote, but such questions often influence voter perceptions of candidates and result in rumors being circulated.
- 18. Types of interview method in… Problem-Solving Interviews When experiencing difficulties or facing an unknown challenge, people may engage in problem solving interviews, those in which a problem is isolated and solutions are generated. These types of interviews may be conducted by someone with greater experience or insight than the person being interviewed. Students, for example, may be questioned by their professors in order to determine why they may be experiencing difficulties in a class
- 19. Types of interview method in… . Sometimes problem-solving interviews are conducted by someone with general knowledge of a situation but whose fresh approach can be beneficial. For instance, a colleague may be asked to engage in a problem-solving interview when difficulties are encountered with a project at work. Someone not involved with a situation will often provide alternative approaches to solving a problem.
- 20. Types of interview method in… Helping Interviews Unlike problem-solving interviews, helping interviews are always conducted by someone with expertise in a given area and whose services are engaged by someone in need of advice. The most obvious example of a helping interview would be a psychologist asking questions of a client. However, other helping interviews include those conducted by credit card counselors with people facing a heavy debt load or attorneys advising clients on legal matters.
- 21. types of Interview method in Qualitative RA The interview design and question phrasing will influence the depth and freedom with which a subject can respond. Some interviews encourage lengthy and detailed replies while others are designed to elicit short and specific responses. The degree of structure imposed on an interview will actually vary along a continuum but it is useful to think of three main types: structured, semi- structured and unstructured.
- 22. Structured or standardized interview Structured interviews enable the interviewer to ask each respondent the same questions in the same way. A tightly structured schedule of questions is used, very much like a questionnaire, and often the intention is to use a quantitative method of data analysis. In many structured interviews, not only will the questions be set in advance, but the possible choice of answers also. Pre-coded responses are important to allow for comparison across all respondents. It is usual for all responses to be noted or written down on the questionnaire. By minimising the number of open- ended responses, the amount of time required for coding and content analysis is greatly reduced and often the data can be directly entered onto a computer
- 23. Structured or standardized….. In carrying out a structured interview, it is important that the interviewer adheres closely to the interview instructions, namely: only interview those subjects who fit the sampling criteria follow the correct order and filtering throughout the questionnaire keep personal opinions to oneself read out pre-codes and prompts where instructed do not read out pre-codes for questions requiring spontaneous answers write down open-ended responses in full.
- 24. Structured or standardized….. The questions in a structured interview may be phrased in such a way that a limited range of responses is elicited. For example: "Do you think that health services in this area are excellent, good, average or poor? This is an example of a closed question where the possible answers are defined in advance so that the respondent is limited to one of the pre-coded responses.
- 25. Structured or standardized….. It is not unusual for otherwise structured interviews to contain a few open-ended questions. ‘Catch-all’ final questions are common, for example, ‘Do you have anything more to add?’ These questions are useful in helping to capture as much information as possible but they increase the amount of time required for analysing the interview findings.
- 26. Semi-structured interviews Semi-structured interviews are similar to structured interviews in that the topics or questions to be asked are planned in advance, but instead of using closed questions, semi-structured interviews are based on open-ended questions. semi-structured interviews are much more time- consuming than structured interviews, because of the requirement to draw up coding frames and carry out content analysis on a large number of interviews. Responses can either be tape-recorded or written down by the interviewer.
- 27. Semi-structured interviews… Obviously because of the use of open-ended questions it is difficult to establish uniformity across respondents. It is all the more important then, that the interviewer refrains from influencing the respondent in any way and maintains a neutral manner.
- 28. Unstructured or in-depth interviews Unstructured or in-depth interviews (also sometimes referred to as qualitative interviews) are so called because they have very little structure at all. The interviewer approaches the interview with the aim of discussing a limited number of topics, sometimes as few as one or two, and frames successive questions according to the interviewee's previous response. Although only one or two topics are discussed, they are covered in great detail.
- 29. Advantages Vs. Disadvantages of Interview method in Qualitative approach Advantages advantages of interview method in qualitative approach, which are noted below It provides flexibility to the interviewers The interview has a better response rate than mailed questions the people who cannot read and write can also answer the questions.
- 30. Advantages….. The interviewer can judge the non-verbal behavior of the respondent. The interviewer can decide the place for an interview in a private and silent place, unlike the ones conducted through emails which can have a completely different environment. The interviewer can control over the order of the question, as in the questionnaire, and can judge the spontaneity of the respondent as well.
- 31. Disadvantages of interview method… There are certain disadvantages of interview studies as well which are: Conducting interview method can be very costly as well as very time-consuming. An interview can cause biases. For example, the respondent’s answers can be affected by his reaction to the interviewer’s race, class, age or physical appearance.
- 32. Disadvantages of… Interview studies provide less anonymity, which is a big concern for many respondents. There is a lack of accessibility to respondents (unlike conducting mailed questionnaire study) since the respondents can be in around any corner of the world or country.
- 33. Illustration/Justification It provides flexibility to the interviewers The interview has a better response rate than mailed questions, and the people who cannot read and write can also answer the questions. The interviewer can judge the non-verbal behavior of the respondent. The interviewer can control over the order of the question, as in the questionnaire, and can judge the spontaneity of the respondent as well.
- 34. Reference Bailey, K. (1994). Interview Studies in Methods of social research. Simonand Schuster, 4th ed. The Free Press, New York NY 10020.Ch8. Pp.173-213. Jones S (1985) In-depth interviewing. In Walker R (ed.) Applied Qualitative Research. Aldershot: Gower. Seidman I (1998) Interviewing as Qualitative Research. New York: Teachers College Press