Interview

1. Interview Course 4 Lect.dr. Adriana Ștefănel Adriana.stefanel@fjsc.ro

2. After this course students must be able to: • Describe and choose between structured, semi-structured, non-directive, focused and informal interviews on the basis of the objectives of the research • Select between using interviews and questionnaires • Produce valid and reliable interview schedules • Conduct and interview skilfully, tactfully, safely and ethically

3. Whatis an interview? • An interview is a conversation between people in which one person has the role of researcher (Gray, D., 2010, p. 369) • (field) interview is a joint production of a researcher and one or more informants (Newmann, W.L., 2011, p. 449) In field interviews, informants express themselves in the forms in which they normally speak, think and organize reality. You want to retain informants’ jokes and narrative stories in their natural form and not repackage them into a standardized format (Newmann, W.L., 2011, p.450)

4. Why use interviews? • Allows the researcher to probe for more detailed responses where the respondent is asked to clarify what they have said. • Interviews can provide expert opinion, eyewitness account or personal testimony Interviewing is a powerful way of helping people to make explicit things that have hitherto been implicit- to articulate their tacit perceptions, feelings and understandings (Arksey&Knight, apudGray, D.,,op.cit, p.370)

16. Survey Interviews versus Field Research Interviews (Newmann, L.W. op.cit. p.451)

17. Selecting interview approaches • Used to collect data for quantitative analysis and use pre-prepared questionnaires and standardized questions. Structured interviews Semi-structured interviews Non-directive interviews Focused interviews Informal conversational interviews

18. Selecting interview approaches • The interviewer has a list of issues and questions to be covered, but may not deal with al of them in each interview. • The order of questions may also change depending on what direction the interview takes • The semi-structured interview allows for probing of views and opinions where it is desirable for respondents to expand on their answers Structured interviews Semi-structured interviews Non-directive interviews Focused interviews Informal conversational interviews

19. Selecting interview approaches • Are used to explore an issue or topic in depth • Questions are not, generally, pre-planned • Active listening techniques are used Structured interviews Semi-structured interviews Non-directive interviews Focused interviews Informal conversational interviews • Forbidden reaction during active listening: • To command • To threaten, to warn • To moralize, to give a lecture • To give a good advice, to come forth with good solution • To formulate logical arguments pretending to be knowledgeable • To praise, to speak highly of • To mock at people, to speak ironically • To analyse and diagnose • To console and to encourage • To interrogate • To be amusing or sarcastic

20. Selecting interview approaches • Is based upon the respondent’s subjective responses to a known situation in which they have been involved • The objective is to understand the respondent's point of view rather than make generalizations about behavior. • The researcher tries to build a rapport with the respondent and the interview is like a conversation. Structured interviews Semi-structured interviews Non-directive interviews Focused interviews Informal conversational interviews

21. Selecting interview approaches • Relies on the spontaneous generation of questions as the interview progress • It is the most open-ended form of interview technique Structured interviews Semi-structured interviews Non-directive interviews Focused interviews Informal conversational interviews

23. Designing credible interviews: internal validity The researcher need to ensure that, if any research questions require addressing, this will be achieved by the end of the interview Validity is strengthened by: • Using interview techniques that build rapport and trust, thus giving informants the scope to express themselves • Prompting informants to illustrate and expend on their initial responses • Constructing interviewing schedules that contain questions drawn from literature and from pilot work with the respondents

24. Designing credible interviews: external validity The extend to which findings from a study can be generalized. • Try to select a sample that allows for a subject to be viewed from all relevant perspectives • Keep increasing the sample size until no new point of view are emerging from the data

25. Conducting the interview • Open question words: • What? Where? • Who? When? • How? Why? * • * “Why?” Limit the use of “WHY” questions in this type of work because it implies that there is a right answer Use open-ended questions Avoid leading questions Probing Open Questions: Questions that allow the respondent to answer without presented or implied choices

26. Conducting the interview • Allow people to answer in their own terms voicing their own views, values and experiences. • Leading questions are phrased to suggest a particular answer or to imply that one answer is expected or more correct What fears do you have when… versus how do you feel when… How good was …versus how do you feel about…… Use open-ended questions Avoid leading questions Probing

27. Conducting the interview Use open-ended questions Avoid leading questions Probing

28. Conducting the interview Use open-ended questions Avoid leading questions Probing

29. Conducting the interview • Do not begin interviewing right away • Listen and express interest in what the informant tells you • Try to encourage informant to expand on their answers and give as many details as possible • Let informant’s answers determine the direction the interview takes • Use informant’s own language to ask new questions