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As you watch the video, consider the following: 

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As you watch the video, consider the following: 

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What did the student researcher do after the interview?

As a mentor, what would you do with Kevin's analysis? What advice would you give?

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Activity 1: Who to interview? What type of interview? 

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Activity 1: Who to interview? What type of interview? 

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Recap of Types of Interviews

Structured:

- Typically consists of closed-ended questions

- Questions asked in the same order for every participant

- Typically used for social surveys

Semi-structured:

- Prepared set of questions but sequence of questions may vary from participant to participant

- Interviewer may ask participants further questions depending on participants' responses, e.g. to clarify

- Possibility of exploring unanticipated but relevant topics with participants

- Most commonly used in qualitative research

Unstructured:

- Broad list of topics/issues that may be covered

- Questions could vary in phrasing and sequence, depending on how participants respond

- Often initiated with a grand tour/broad open question

-Possibility of exploring unanticipated but relevant topics with participants

- Typically used in ethnographic studies, gathering oral history

Focus Group Discussions:

- Group interview with multiple participants and a moderator/facilitator

- Planned questions designed to permit discussion to emerge

- Key purpose: Use group interaction to get at joint construction of meaning of topics for discussion

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27 March IRS Activity 2: Preparing an Interview Guide

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The Life of a Japanese Restaurant Owner 

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The Life of a Japanese Restaurant Owner 

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Watch - 11:25 s Requires login to SLS.

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The Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) allows all students to have equal and open access to quality curriculum-aligned resources, enabling students to take greater ownership of their learning. The SLS also complements classroom teaching, and supports teachers with quality curriculum-aligned resources.

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An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data. Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions.

There are several types of interviews, often differentiated by their level of structure. Structured interviews have predetermined questions asked in a predetermined order. Unstructured interviews are more free-flowing, and semi-structured interviews fall in between.

Interviews are commonly used in market research, social science, and ethnographic research.

What is a structured interview?

Structured interviews have predetermined questions in a set order. They are often closed-ended, featuring dichotomous (yes/no) or multiple-choice questions. While open-ended structured interviews exist, they are much less common. The types of questions asked make structured interviews a predominantly quantitative tool.

Asking set questions in a set order can help you see patterns among responses, and it allows you to easily compare responses between participants while keeping other factors constant. This can mitigate biases and lead to higher reliability and validity. However, structured interviews can be overly formal, as well as limited in scope and flexibility.

Structured interviews may be a good fit for your research if:

You feel very comfortable with your topic. This will help you formulate your questions most effectively.

You have limited time or resources. Structured interviews are a bit more straightforward to analyse because of their closed-ended nature, and can be a doable undertaking for an individual.

Your research question depends on holding environmental conditions between participants constant

What is a semi-structured interview?

Semi-structured interviews are a blend of structured and unstructured interviews. While the interviewer has a general plan for what they want to ask, the questions do not have to follow a particular phrasing or order.

Semi-structured interviews are often open-ended, allowing for flexibility, but follow a predetermined thematic framework, giving a sense of order. For this reason, they are often considered 'the best of both worlds'.

However, if the questions differ substantially between participants, it can be challenging to look for patterns, lessening the generalisability and validity of your results.

Semi-structured interviews may be a good fit for your research if:

You have prior interview experience. It's easier than you think to accidentally ask a leading question when coming up with questions on the fly. Overall, spontaneous questions are much more difficult than they may seem.

Your research question is exploratory in nature. The answers you receive can help guide your future research.

What is an unstructured interview?

An unstructured interview is the most flexible type of interview. The questions and the order in which they are asked are not set. Instead, the interview can proceed more spontaneously, based on the participant's previous answers.

Unstructured interviews are by definition open-ended. This flexibility can help you gather detailed information on your topic, while still allowing you to observe patterns between participants.

However, so much flexibility means that they can be very challenging to conduct properly. You must be very careful not to ask leading questions, as biased responses can lead to lower reliability or even invalidate your research.

Unstructured interviews may be a good fit for your research if:

You have a solid background in your research topic and have conducted interviews before

Your research question is exploratory in nature, and you are seeking descriptive data that will deepen and contextualise your initial hypotheses

Your research necessitates forming a deeper connection with your participants, encouraging them to feel comfortable revealing their true opinions and emotions

What is a focus group?

A focus group brings together a group of participants to answer questions on a topic of interest in a moderated setting. Focus groups are qualitative in nature and often study the group's dynamic and body language in addition to their answers. Responses can guide future research on consumer products and services, human behaviour, or controversial topics.

Focus groups can provide more nuanced and unfiltered feedback than individual interviews and are easier to organise than experiments or large surveys. However, their small size leads to low external validity and the temptation as a researcher to 'cherry-pick' responses that fit your hypotheses.

A focus group may be a good fit for your research if:

Your research focuses on the dynamics of group discussion or real-time responses to your topic

Your questions are complex and rooted in feelings, opinions, and perceptions that cannot be answered with a 'yes' or 'no'

Your topic is exploratory in nature, and you are seeking information that will help you uncover new questions or future research ideas

Examples of interview questions

Depending on the type of interview you are conducting, your questions will differ in style, phrasing, and intention. Structured interview questions are set and precise, while the other types of interviews allow for more open-endedness and flexibility.

Here are some examples.

Advantages and disadvantages of interviews

Interviews are a great research tool. They allow you to gather rich information and draw more detailed conclusions than other research methods, taking into consideration nonverbal cues, off-the-cuff reactions, and emotional responses.

However, they can also be time-consuming and deceptively challenging to conduct properly. Smaller sample sizes can cause their validity and reliability to suffer, and there is an inherent risk of interviewer effect arising from accidentally leading questions.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of each type of interview that can help you decide if you'd like to utilise this research method.

Structured interview

Researcher can't ask additional questions for more clarification or nuance

Limited scope: you might miss out on interesting data

Due to the restricted answer options, people might have to choose the 'best fit'

Semi-structured interview

Can be used in quantitative research

Relatively high validity

You can ask additional questions if needed

Lower validity than the structured interview

You need to have good conversational skills to get the most out of the interview

Preparation is time-consuming

Unstructured interview

Low reliability and validity

You need to have excellent conversational skills to keep the interview going

Easy to get sidetracked

Hard to compare data

Preparation is very time-consuming

Focus group

Frequently asked questions about types of interviews

When should you use a structured interview?

A structured interview is a data collection method that relies on asking questions in a set order to collect data on a topic. They are often quantitative in nature. Structured interviews are best used when:

You already have a very clear understanding of your topic. Perhaps significant research has already been conducted, or you have done some prior research yourself, but you already possess a baseline for designing strong structured questions.

You are constrained in terms of time or resources and need to analyse your data quickly and efficiently

Your research question depends on strong parity between participants, with environmental conditions held constant

More flexible interview options include semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and focus groups.

When should you use an unstructured interview?

An unstructured interview is the most flexible type of interview, but it is not always the best fit for your research topic.

Unstructured interviews are best used when:

You are an experienced interviewer and have a very strong background in your research topic, since it is challenging to ask spontaneous, colloquial questions

Your research question is exploratory in nature. While you may have developed hypotheses, you are open to discovering new or shifting viewpoints through the interview process.

You are seeking descriptive data, and are ready to ask questions that will deepen and contextualise your initial thoughts and hypotheses

Your research depends on forming connections with your participants and making them feel comfortable revealing deeper emotions, lived experiences, or thoughts

What is an interviewer effect?

The interviewer effect is a type of bias that emerges when a characteristic of an interviewer (race, age, gender identity, etc.) influences the responses given by the interviewee.

There is a risk of an interviewer effect in all types of interviews, but it can be mitigated by writing really high-quality interview questions.

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Types of Interviews in Research | Guide & Examples

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An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data. Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom