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INTERVIEWS
Presenters:
Robert Farnsworth
Roshani Shrestha
Ardis Holldorsdottir
Hannah Schechter
Introduction
Benney 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.”
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 of
Quality 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
Structured Interviews
Quantitative Approach
Definition
Interviewer gives a set of predetermined
questions or “probes” to the interviewees
Aim
Measures facts, attitudes, knowledge, behavior
Finding accurate information
without influences from
the researcher
Structured Interviews
Relationship between interviewer and
interviewee
Minimize interaction
No distractions
No flexibility
strict control over interview
Structured Interviews
Concern While Conducting Interviews
Keeping control of how questions are
asked
Using the same questions for all
interviewees
Following a fixed order
Using a rating scale or tick box
Ethical considerations
Structured Interviews
Strengths
Control
Reliability
Speed
Structuring
reduces variability
Efficient use of
time
Weaknesses
Close of theoretical
avenues
Limit freedom to talk
Miss what
interviewees think is
important
Does not allow
complexity of
answers
Structured Interviews
Quality of Data
Framing interview with tactics
Data collection process
Interpreting interview
Types of Interviews
Telephone
Face-to-face
Mail (usually associated
with survey research
Structured Interviews
Types of characteristics
Definition
Quality of data
Face to face interviews
Type of interview where
the interviewer has direct
contact with the
interviewee
Trained interviewer
Telephone interviews
Type of interview where
the interviewer has an
indirect contact with the
interviewee.
Trained interviewer
Samp ling
From telephone or address
From a telephone directory
Data collection
The interviewer contacts
each member of the sample
to conduct the interview in
person
Peop le are interviewed at
the time of the first phone
call or at another , more
convenient time
Data recording
Involvement of researcher
Video, tape recorder, notes
The researcher has direct
contact with the
interviewee, but does not
influence the interview
Enables the interviewer to
establish rap p ort with the
resp ondent
Tape recorder
The researcher has phone
contact with the
interviewee.
Strength
Weaknesses
Higher cost of the survey
Exp ensive
Time consuming
Less costly than p ersonal
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
Not all peop le have
telephone
Telephone directories
could be incomplete
Necessity of
knowledgeable sup ervisor
M ail interviews
Type of interview where
the interviewer doesnΥt
have any contact with the
interviewee.
Well defined and
administrated questionnaire
From a complete list of
p opulation
Eachh member of the
sample receives a notice
letter in advance, followed
by a questionnaire. Then
within a week they receive
a p ostcard reminder
Questionnaire
The researcher is
comp letely separated from
the interviewee
Do not need trained
interviewers
Minimiz e samp ling error at
relative low cost
They are sensitive to non
coverage error
Some people are less likely
to resp ond to the
questionnaire than others
The researcher has little
control over what hap pens
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
Semi-Structured
Interviews
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 answered
Ensures the respondent is working on his/her own
Can potentially increase response rate…
Semi-Structured
Interviews
Weaknesses
‘Equivalence of meaning’ difficulties may arise
‘Preferred social response’
Non-response/particular groups being unrepresented
Invasion of privacy
Extenuating circumstances
Prejudices, stereotypes, appearances and/or
perceptions of researcher may alter response
Semi-Structured
Interviews
Getting Beyond the Constraints
Constructing the questionnaire is critical
(Lazarsfeld, 1954)
All questions must comply with three
principles
Specification
Division
Tacit Assumption
Semi-Structured
Interviews
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 interviewing
Non-directive interviewing
Non-standardized interviewing
Open-ended interviewing
In-depth interviewing
Unstructured Interviews
Qualitative 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 Interviews
Aim/Logic
Learn what is…
Important to the participants
What meaning the phenomenon under study has to them
Their point of view
Their understanding and experiences
Types of in-depth interviews
Life History
Learn about events and activities that cannot be observed
directly
To yield a broad picture of a range of settings, situations, or
people
Group interviews
Unstructured Interviews
Create trust between researcher and
participant
Anonymity and confidentiality
Follow cultural rules
“nice and gentle”
Show interest
Be understanding
Unstructured Interviews
To conduct a good interview
You need to…
Be nonjudgmental
Ask open questions
Allow people to speak
Be a good listener
Tolerate the silence
Probe when it is appropriate
Make sure you have the right
understanding
Unstructured Interviews
Strengths
Rich data
Understand 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
Weaknesses
People say and do
different things in
different situations
Language barriers
Time consuming
Researcher’s bias
Little control
Attention not focused
on a given issue
Very little factual
information provided
Ethics
Informed consent
Make 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 interviewers
Trustworthy interviewers
Confidentiality
Member-checking
Examples in CSS
Alicia De la Cruz-Novey
Peruvian Tourism
Comparing three protected areas- rainforest, coast, and
highlands
Semi-structured interviews & archival data
How tour operators and local tourist initiatives can reduce negative
impacts on the ecosystem
Questionnaires & archival data
Evaluate socioeconomic changes in communities with tourism plan
Questionnaires, archival data, & literature analysis
Evaluation of the cost and effectiveness of different types of
participation for the development and implementation of tourism
plans
Examples in CSS
Shannon Amberg
Perception of risks and benefits
of eating fish
Will 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 Techniques
Interviewing for dating services…
And now for some
dating fun...