Interview

Assess the usefulness of different types of interview in sociological research There are many different types of interviews that sociologists use in there day to day working lives. Interviews can consist of either just 2 people (interviewer and the interviewee.) or a number of people; group interview. Interviews can be used for many reasons; but they are mostly used for obtaining information about the interviewee. For sociologists, the most important thing is to use a method which is closer to the truth and more reliable, so in order to do this they need to assess the possible outcomes they may receive at the interview and also think about the different types of interviews in which they can use. Interviews are qualitative, as the answers from the interview aren’t in the form of numbers, as they give a more in depth answer. This gives a clearer answer for the interviewer. Interviews are primary data, as the interviewer gets the first look into the information, they are receiving it first hand. However they are on a small scale; (micro) if it a conversation based interview, as they want to understand the individual more, so it is time consuming. As I said briefly before, they are many types of interviews. One being structured interviews. Structured interviews are interviews which are planned out before hand and the interviewer has the questions ready written down to ask before the interview. This means that the questions can be asked to a number of people (interview repeated), meaning the interview follows the same format each time. The data is usually quantitative meaning the interview is reliable. Structured interviews can be a positive way, as the information can be easily compared as the same questions have been asked at each interview. They are mainly used by Positivists and have similar advantages and disadvantages to structures questionnaires. Structured interviews controls the flow of the interview, it will make the interviewer more relaxed as they already know what questions they are asking the people. Wilmot and Young (1962). They used structured interviews in their research into the extended family in East London. They used a sample size of 933 people, as the sample size was so big they couldn’t do all the interviewing themselves. So in order to help them, they employed other interviewers to help them. “The interviews were formal and standardised and the questions were precise and factual. The interviewers’ task was to ring the appropriate code number opposite the answer they received or, at a few points in the interview, write in a fairly short, simple reply.” The interviews took between 10 minutes - half an hour each. This information about the structured interviews show that they can be time consuming, as they used the same questions each time so they could just get on with it. The questions were also precise, meaning the information will be more valid. The choice of answers in the interview are usually closed questions, as the questions are more to the point. They could draw up statistics when they have collected all the answers together. Another example of a type of interview is a semi-structured interview. This type of interview usually start with more general questions. Not all of the questions are designed before the actual interview, the majority of the questions are created during the interview. This allows both the interviewer and the interviewee the flexibility to probe for details or discuss issues. Another main type of an interview is an unstructured interview. Unstructured interviews involves questions that when answered is like a conversation. The interview tends to flow freely as it not a set format. It is usually bases around a theme or a topic. Even though the interview hasn’t got a format, the interviewer may have some key questions formulated in advance. Unstructured interviews allows questions based on the interviewee’s responses. They are seen more as a friendly, non-threatening conversation. However, as the questions have not been planned out before hand, different questions will be asked, so this means that there is a lack of reliability and precision like a structured interview has. It will be harder for the interviewer to make comparisons and draw up conclusions. Unstructured interviews are usually used by Interpretivists, which means the data is Qualitative. The interview will be valid. However in this type of interview, the question might affect the person being interviewed, and they may feel embarrassed, and may not want to answer the question the way they would want to. They may also give socially desirable answers, if they are uncomfortable and if their answers may be wrong, or may be judged. (Artificiality) Also with unstructured interviews they will take longer, as the questions are open. They are entitled to their own opinions and can explain their answer however they like. This again will take a lot of time. Dobash and Dobash - “violence against wives” (1980) They conducted 109 unstructured interviews with women who had experienced domestic violence. The women who were asked to take part had previously lived in refuges and none of them refused. The interviews were carried out by two female researchers and the interview process varied in length of time (2-12 hours.) “The women were asked to talk freely about the first, the worse and the last experience of violence. All the interviews were taped and when the women did not talk freely they were gently probed by the interviewer.” Overall Dobash and Dobash were able to have detailed accounts of the women’s experiences. They also came out with understanding the meanings of their experiences. With these type of interviews, you can get a more in depth answer, and reveal true feelings and emotions, but it will be harder to make comparisons and it is very time consuming like the interviews in Dobash and Dobash. Lastly there are group interviews, which can include many people. Usually there are around 8-10 people. Group interviews can be used by employers when hiring. Sometimes group interviews are referred to as a Focus Group. Using group interviews can increase the sample size dramatically, as uses up less time. The number of questions may be limited however, as some of the questions may be quite personal. So you will not be able to ask personal questions in front of others. Also with some of the questions, disagreements may take place.