For an effective and flawless data collection, an interview instrument was designed and developed.
The scope of any qualitative interview research is to see the topic with the eyes of the interviewee, and to explain the reasons why the interviewee reaches a particular perspective. In order to achieve such a goal, a qualitative research interview must have specific attributes. The structure of the interview should be kept open, a sufficient number of open questions should be included, and the main focus should be on situation and action sequences rather than abstractions and general opinions (King, 1993).
It is important to notice the issue of possible researcher bias. The findings cannot be a result of researcher’s assumptions and prior intentions.
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The most popular ones are described below:
a) Structured interview. In a structured interview there is a complete set of predefined questions. Usually such interviews are used in surveys, where they don’t have to be conducted by the researcher, however there is no room for improvisation.
b) Unstructured/semi-structured interview. In a semi-structured interview the researcher might have prepared some questions in advance, however there is always room for more explanatory or open questions.
c) Group interview. During a group interview two or more people are interviewed at the same time by one or more interviewers. The type of interview may be structured or unstructured.
The nature of the research question that has to be addressed, defines the type of the interview to be used in the study. For the objectives of this thesis, the semi-structured interview will be
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(Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009) consider it as the most effective and convenient mean of gathering information. Its’ basis is in human conversation, thus allowing a skillful interviewer to modify different aspects of the process, adjusting the pace and order of questions to elicit better responses from the interviewees. It is important to notice, that it enables the respondents to reply in their own personal way, using the language they think is
McClish, Mark. “Susan Smith” http://www.statementanalysis.com/susan-smith/ Advanced Interviewing Concepts. May 6, 2002. Web, Feb. 7, 2012
...the data did not involve member checking thus reducing its robustness and enable to exclude researcher’s bias. Although a constant comparative method was evident in the discussion which improved the plausibility of the final findings. Themes identified were well corroborated but not declared was anytime a point of theoretical saturation Thus, the published report was found to be particularly strong in the area of believability and dependability; less strong in the area of transferability; and is weak in the area of credibility and confirmability, although, editorial limitations can be a barrier in providing a detailed account (Craig & Smyth, 2007; Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007).
Qualitative and quantitative methods allow researchers to investigate, explore and inquire the nature of the phenomenon being studied. It is important that the researcher develops a clear understanding of the problem and design a plan to investigate it (Cresswell, 1998, para. 1). There are a variety of research methods; nevertheless, it is important to consider which research method is appropriate for the study. Qualitative research focuses on human experiences while quantitative research relies on numbers, measurements, and testing. Nevertheless, qualitative and quantitative methods use similar approaches to conduct research and collect data. For example, observations and interviews are approaches used in both research designs; however, the approaches are used and viewed otherwise. This will be discussed later in the paper.
Qualitative research doesn’t manipulate variables or include the researchers definitions of variables, it let’s the meaning emerge from the participants of the research project. A qualitative research project is flexible and diverse it can adjust the settings to accommodate the data collection tools, data collection methods as the research project start to progress towards finding a true variable that isn’t manufactured or inaccurate; qualitative techniques are very useful when a subject is too complex to be answered simply “Yes or No”. The broader scope that is covered in the qualitative research program helps ensure that useful data will be generated and that the research methods aren’t...
What is an interview? An interview is an oral examination. This examination allows the interviewer to find out information about the interviewee in a non-formal setting. I needed to conduct an interview to find out what kind of person my partner is. To begin the process I needed a partner to interview. The partner I was given was Kelby McCoy. We decided partners by drawing pieces of papers with a number between one and thirteen and an A or B for each number. I drew that paper 3B and Kelby drew the paper 3A making us partners.
The author could have employed other methods of qualitative research such as, narrative analysis, grounded theory, discourse analysis, data display and analysis, content analysis and quantifying qualitative data and computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAPDAS) (Saunders et al., 2016). Nevertheless, these approaches seem cumbersome sometimes and take a long time to complete (Willig, 1999; Braun and Clarke, 2006 and Smith and Bekker,
Whilst a more structured interview may come under criticism for its lack of validity, there are several advantages to taking an unstructured approach to the interview process. Unstructured interviews allow for a more relaxed atmosphere allowing the interviewer to gain a rapport with the interviewee making it easier for them to share their own personal views with the interviewer. The flexibility offered by this method allows for the exploration of unfamiliar topics and the ability to make sure that the interviewee is clear on the meaning of the questions they are being asked and the answers they give. However, whilst the structure of the interview offers several advantages a survey cannot, they do present practical problems such as the time they take to complete and the small number of varied responses cannot be representative or quantified (Webb,
Qualitative research is an approach that attempts to situate an activity that locates the observer in the world by providing the study to occur in their natural setting and by attempting to make sense of, or interpret information (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005). A characteristic of qualitative research is to use a variety of empirical materials such as personal experience, interviews, and questionnaires. It is imperative to understand the task at hand and how to fully carry out the study when using a qualitative research approach in order to find out the information needed. One view of qualitative research is it involves examining individual’s experiences and documenting those experiences in detail (Jones, 2011). By documenting these observations the researcher is ensuring validity in his or her data and giving the correct creditability to those who participated in the study.
During the analysis phase, the interviewer uses several techniques to observe and analyze the subject's behavior “to determine the subject's truthful and deceptive behaviors or at least to determine those areas most sensitive to the subject and, therefore, in need of further attention through verbal inquiry” (Walters 3). Walters describes four fundamental stages of the interview: (1) orientation, (2) narration, (3) cross-examination, and (4) resolution (Id. at 25-29).
Researcher can interact directly with respondents (allows clarification, follow-up questions, probing). Can gain information from non-verbal responses to supplement (or even contradict) verbal responses.
focused on the key qualitative research methods. For each article review, a brief description, guided by Myers (2013), and a critique, guided Pratt (2009), is provided. A summary of the five articles identifying the research method, data collection technique, data analysis approach and critique is provided in Table 1. The narrative review of each article coupled with figures and tables to organize and visualize thoughts (Pratt, 2009) follows the summary table.
It is important to tell the candidate that she/he will be interviewed as what for example as an expert or as a representative of a group of people. Also because the semi-structured interview more flexible I did not study the interview plan. According to Laforest (2009) even though semi-structured interviews are flexible, they require rigorous preparation. It is essential to study interview plan decide which questions are most appropriate or prepare new ones. In conclusion, many researchers like to use semi-structured interviews because questions can be prepared ahead of time.
In this essay, the structure, interview setting, non-verbal and verbal qualities of the interview were evaluated and critiqued. Structure To create a successful interview, the interviewer should consider the seven-step process to an
Reasoning behind this being it would create a more natural conversation and discussion of their own experiences, as opposed to a formal interview between myself and them, which would create a new and uncomfortable dynamic between us, which would hinder the research I was trying to carry out. Therefore, the more fluid and candid approach of the unstructured interviews was more innkeeping with the style of my study, and allowed me to obtain more detailed and fluid answers, as opposed to rigid and short answers to a survey or questionnaire. Whereas, if I wasn’t studying my peers I may have chosen a more formal style of interview, to allow them more respect, and to acknowledge they are my superior, as a less formal style of interview would mix the power dynamics between us. Furthermore, due to the experienced based nature of my research, formal interviews wouldn’t allow me the detail I needed to understand the students feelings towards their jobs and volunteering. Moreover, this relaxed style meant the interviews were not restricted to a singular time or place, but allowed an ongoing conversation about their experiences, which gave them time to reflect upon our discussion and make changes to their responses.
Fieldwork like interviews require asking the right questions, or as Moseley termed "the frame and phrase [the] questions" (2013, p. 3). In other words, failure to ask the right question results in an ineffective and less factual interview. The advantage to an open-ended question broadens the scope of research by allowing the interviewee to touch upon additional information, perhaps adding a new viewpoint. Whereas closed responses reach a vast number of interviewees but simplify answers to a yes or no.