Research Methods

Basic Qualitative Research Methods

Different Types of Interviews

In today’s lecture

• Interviews with different paradigms

• Interviews with different levels of flexibility

• Interviews conducted by different means

• Interviews recorded in different ways

• Interviews with different types of interviewees

What is interviewing

• Interviewing is questioning human beings in order to obtain knowledge.

• Interviewing is the most widely employed method in qualitative research.

• Differences: 1. Philosophical position 2. Flexibility 3. Means 4. Way of recording 5. Type of interviewee 6. Type of data

Different philosophical positions

• Quantitative interviewing: data are gathered through the standardised questionnaire with rigidly structured questions and answers.

• Qualitative interviewing: data are gathered through flexible and non-standardised questioning.

Different levels of flexibility

• Structured interview

• Unstructured interview

• Semi-structured interview

Questioning techniquesAt the most basic level your questions will either be open or closed:

•Open Ended- a question that does not limit the potential answer that a participant could give and encourages detail.

Could you give me your opinion about which method of coaching is the most valuable and suggest reasons for this?

•Closed – a question that is presented to a participants that limits potential answers to a list or “yes” or “no”.

What is your favourite team in football/rugby/cricket/ netball etc?

Other Methods:

- Hypothetical. - Multi- Barrelled. - Observational.- Behavioural/Competency Based. - Data Recall.- Reasoning. - Evaluation.

Structured interviewCorbetta (2003)• All respondents are asked the same questions with the

same wording and in the same sequence. • Respondents (Interviewees) are free to answer as they

wish. • A questionnaire with open-ended questions of a lesser

degree of standardization. • Unable to probe as deeply as unstructured interview

serves. • Used when the researcher wants to gather data to

describe a given social phenomenon quantitatively but knows little about that phenomenon.

Unstructured interview

• Neither the content nor the form of the questions is predetermined.

• The interviewer raises the topics, encourages the respondent to elucidate further and leads them back to the main point only if they begin to digress towards subjects irrelevant.

• When unforeseen but relevant sub-themes arise during the interview, they will be developed further.

• The timing of interview should be determined by the respondent.

Semi-structured interview

• The interviewer normally has a list of questions, which serves as a set of guidelines.

• The interviewer decides in which order the various topics are dealt with and the wording of the questions.

• The interviewer is free to develop any themes arising during the interview.

• Flexibility within a predetermined scheme.

Interview methodology issues

Interviewer effect/bias

This concept refers to the possibility that a researcher may influence or distort opinions.

Leading Questions

•You must be very careful not to elicit a certain response from a participant.

For example:

I think that the best form of exercise is swimming, would you agree with this?

Example interview

View the following Interview with one of the greatest players ever to play football:

Does the researcher use:

•Open and Closed questions.•Interviewer bias.•Leading questions.

•Lionel Messi.

Different means

• Face-to-face interview

• Telephone interview

• Online interview

• Interview by email/mail

Face-to-face interview

• The best way of conducting qualitative interview.

• Unstructured, semi-structured or informal. • Conversation with facial expression and body

language. • Taking notes can be difficult.• Transcription can be time-consuming.• The interviewer is able to lead.

Telephone interview

• Unstructured or semi-structured

• Conversation without facial expression and body language.

• Taking notes can be easier.

• Transcription can be time-consuming.

• The interviewer is able to lead.

Online interview

• Written conversation

• Semi-structured

• Time-consuming

• Easy and accurate transcription

• The interviewer is able to lead.

Interview by email/mail

• Structured

• Follow-up questions are often needed.

• Easy and accurate transcription

• The interviewer is unable to lead.

Different ways of recording

• Notes

• Camera

• Recorder

Notes

• Taken after but not during informal or unstructured interview.

• Often taken during semi-structured interview.

• More a means of reminding the interviewer rather than a means of recording data.

• Transcription based upon notes may be less accurate.

• The interviewer does not need the interviewee’s consent before he takes any notes.

Camera or recorder

• The interviewee’s consent must be gained before a camera or a recorder is used to record the interview.

• A lot of respondents do not want what they say to be recorded.

• Problem of reactivity.• Transcription could be time-consuming but accurate.• The interviewer may still take notes during or after the

interview.

Different types of interviewees

Flick (2006):

• Interview with a person: individual interests, biographical account and single case.

• Interview with an expert: interests of his or her capacity for a certain field or activity, representing a group of people with specific knowledge or abilities. The interviewer should be familiar with the topics in order to successfully conduct an expert interview.

• Interview with focus groups

Seminar Work

Task:

Interview two friends in the group. Develop an interview guide/list of questions:

Central topic: which Sports club do you support and why?

From this: Report your findings.

• Step 1: Make a question-list which includes at least 4 questions relevant to the central topic.

• Step 2: Verbally question the first interviewee and ask your second to write out their answers to your questions.

• Step 3: Explain the differences between the two interviews.

Required Reading

• The textbook:

Mason, J. (2002) Qualitative Researching (2nd Ed), London: Sage.

• This week’s required reading:

Chapter 4