Interview Method

What is Interview Methods in Research?
Types of Interview Method in Research.
Advantage and Disadvantages of  Face to Face Interview Method. Advantage and Disadvantages of Telephone Interview Method.
Essential Condition of Interview
How to take a Successful Interview.
Qualities of Interviewer.

Interview Method

The interview method of collecting data involves presentation of oral-verbal stimuli and reply in

terms of oral-verbal responses. This method can be used through personal interviews and, if possible,

through telephone interviews.

Personal or Face to Face Interview

Personal  interview  method  requires  a  person  known  as  the  interviewer asking questions generally in a face-to-face contact to the other person or persons.his sort of interview may be in the form of direct

personal investigation or it may be indirect oral investigation. In the case of direct personal investigation the interviewer has to collect the information personally from the sources concerned.

Advantages of Face to Face Interview

(i)  More information and that too in greater depth can be obtained.

(ii) Interviewer by his own skill can overcome the resistance, if any, of the respondents; the interview method can be made to yield an almost perfect sample of the general population.

(iii) There is greater flexibility under this method as the opportunity to restructure questions is always there, specially in case of unstructured interviews.

(iv) Observation method can as well be applied to recording verbal answers to various questions.

(v)  Personal information can as well be obtained easily under this method.

(vi) Samples  can  be  controlled  more  effectively  as  there  arises  no  difficulty  of  the  missing returns; non-response generally remains very low.

(vii) The interviewer can usually control which person(s) will answer the questions. This is not possible in mailed questionnaire approach. If so desired, group discussions may also be held.

(viii) The interviewer may catch the informant off-guard and thus may secure the most spontaneous reactions than would be the case if mailed questionnaire is used.

(ix) The  language  of  the  interview  can  be  adopted  to  the  ability  or  educational  level  of  the person interviewed and as such misinterpretations concerning questions can be avoided.

(x)  The interviewer can collect supplementary information about the respondent’s personal characteristics and environment which is often of great value in interpreting results.

Disadvantages of Face to Face Interview

(i)  It is a very expensive method, specially when large and widely spread geographical sample is taken.

(ii) There remains the possibility of the bias of interviewer as well as that of the respondent; there also remains the headache of supervision and control of interviewers.

(iii) Certain types of respondents such as important officials or executives or people in high income groups may not be easily approachable under this method and to that extent the data may prove inadequate.

(iv)This method is relatively more-time-consuming, specially when the sample is large and re-calls upon the respondents are necessary.

(v) The presence of the interviewer on the spot may over-stimulate the respondent, sometimes even  to  the  extent  that  he  may  give  imaginary  information  just  to  make  the  interview interesting.

(vi) Under the interview method the organization required for selecting, training and supervising the field-staff is more complex with formidable problems.

(vii) Interviewing at times may also introduce systematic errors.

(viii) Effective interview presupposes proper rapport with respondents that would facilitate free and frank responses. This is often a very difficult requirement.

Telephone interviews:

This method of collecting information consists in contacting respondents on telephone itself. It is not a very widely used method, but plays important part in industrial surveys, particularly in developed regions.

Advantages of Telephone Interview

1.  It is more flexible in comparison to mailing method.

2.  It is faster than other methods i.e., a quick way of obtaining information.

3.  It is cheaper than personal interviewing method; here the cost per response is relatively low.

4.  Recall is easy; callbacks are simple and economical.

5.  There is a higher rate of response than what we have in mailing method; the non-response is generally very low.

6.  Replies can be recorded without causing embarrassment to respondents.

7.  Interviewer can explain requirements more easily.

8.  At times, access can be gained to respondents who otherwise cannot be contacted for one reason or the other.

9.  No field staff is required.

10.  Representative and wider distribution of sample is possible.

Disadvantages of Telephone Interview

1.  Little time is given to respondents for considered answers; interview period is not likely to exceed five minutes in most cases.

2.  Surveys are restricted to respondents who have telephone facilities.

 

3.  Extensive geographical coverage may get restricted by cost considerations.

4.  It is not suitable for intensive surveys where comprehensive answers are required to various questions.

5.  Possibility of the bias of the interviewer is relatively more.

6.  Questions have to be short and to the point; probes are difficult to handle.

Essential Condition of Interview

How to take a Successful Interview.

1. Come to the interview well prepared with background knowledge of the subject, familiarity with your recording equipment, a consent form that the interviewee will sign giving you permission to use the tape recorded interview for research purposes. You should also mention that the interview will be archived as part of a larger project documenting the lives of Latino migrants in the United States.

2. Make the narrator as comfortable as possible; polite, friendly behavior will put your interviewee at ease. Interviews should not begin abruptly. Take the time to introduce yourself and to talk about your project. For example, “Hello Mr. Jones, I’m Jill Savage. How are you today? Thanks for taking time to let me interview you about your migration experiences for my oral history project.  Let’s find a quiet place where we can sit down and talk. Where would you like to sit to do the interview? How would you like to proceed with the interview?”

3. Take time to find a quiet spot in which to conduct the interview. Remember that even the sound of clocks, pets, chatter, add distracting noises to the recordings and may also distract you and the interviewer, affecting the overall quality of the interview & recording. Set up the recorder between yourself and the interviewee. Before you turn on the recorder, ask if the narrator is ready to begin.

4. Begin the interview with a few simple questions that the interviewee can answer easily and comfortably.

5. Ask questions one at a time and do not rush the interviewee to respond.  Allow the interviewee time to think and respond. Do not become anxious by silence. Silences will make for a better interview; pause at least ten seconds before asking a new question.

6. Speak clearly so that the interviewee can easily understand and hear you. Keep the questions as brief as possible so that what you are asking will be clear to the interviewee. Repeat the question if you need to.

7. Ask as many open ended questions as possible. These questions encourage the interviewee to tell stories rather than providing yes/no responses.

8. When constructing your questions, write them in clear, plain English. Remember that your interviewees are not academics.

For example, do not ask: “How has gender impacted your migration experience.” Rather, ask, “What was your experience like as woman crossing the border?” “How did being a woman affect your decision to migrate?” “How was your experience as a woman different than that of other migrants you know?” “Tell me about what your experiences as a single man were like immigrating to the United States.”

Another example. Do not ask: “Did you access social networks?” or “what social networks if any did you access?” Instead, consider: “Were there people (family members, friends, or co-workers, for example) that you depended on to help you with your trip?” Or “Were there family members or friends that you were able to depend on when you first came to the United States?”  Then you can ask follow up questions if they answer yes…For example: “Who were they? And, in what ways (or how) did they help you? Was that common practice?”

9. Listen actively to the interviewee’s answers and then ask follow up questions like, “how did you feel about that?” or “what happened next?” to bring out more details before you go on to the next question on your page. Respond appropriately to the interviewee. Pause or say something like “that must have been difficult” if the interviewee describes a painful memory. Also, if the interviewee is clearly overcome by emotion, ask if they would like to take a break and/or stop the interview and return to it later.

10. Do not contradict or correct your interviewee and keep your personal opinions to yourself as much as possible. Do not ask leading questions like: “Tell me about that winter, you must have had a miserable time.”

11. Do not rush the end of the interview. Have a good closing question that helps the interviewee summarize or come to a conclusion. You might consider asking them if there is anything they wish to say that they may not have already told you, before pausing the recorder.

Always thank your interviewee for the time and generosity in helping with your project. Remember to have the interviewee sign the release form.

Qualities of Interviewer

1. An analytical mind

“As a market researcher you are constantly analysing a variety of factors. Why does the client ultimately want to do this research? What is the appropriate methodology? When should this research take place? What are the appropriate questions to ask and how? Why did the respondent say that? What are the findings telling us? Why are they telling us that? How do I best communicate the findings? etc. On a daily basis researchers must be able to take a step back and analyse the situation presented to them. The obvious answer is not necessarily the right one” (Gareth Hodgson)

“You have to be able to see the bigger picture as well as the detail. People often find it easier to do one or the other- it is a skilled researcher that can do both simultaneously” (Richard Walker)

2. A people person

“This is important for clients –buyers of research would rather work with professional AND friendly consultants. Also for respondents – to get the best out of interview / focus group participants” (Richard Walker)

3. The ability to stay calm

“It can be really stressful as a researcher sometimes, especially when you have pressing deadlines or are experiencing problems with a data set, for example. When these situations occur, you just have to keep focused and think logically – there will always be an end point, even if it doesn’t feel like it!” (Bethan Turner)

4. Intelligence

“Research requires critical analysis but most of all common sense” (Liz Brierley)

5. Curiosity

“You may have the necessary intelligence but if you are not curious enough then you won’t be passionate about delving deeper to unearth more insight” (Anthony Shephard)

“At the end of the day, the role of a market researcher is to find out about other people’s business and tell it to other people. To be a market researcher you have to have an inherent interest in what other people think (potentially about absolutely anything!), and the nosier you are, the greater depth of information you can extract” (Gareth Hodgson)

6. Quick thinker

“Things don’t always go to plan so you need to be able to think fast” (Anthony Shephard)

7. Commitment

“It’s a tough job – the hours can be long, the deadlines short” (Richard Walker)

8. Excellent written and verbal communication skills

“So different audiences can clearly understand the findings of the research and what it means for them” (Jo Iaconianni)

“You have to have excellent written communications and be fluent in the language of business” (Richard Walker)

9. Sympathetic

“Having a sympathetic ear when listening to some respondents’ moans and groans is always a good skill to have!” (Liz Brierley)

10. Systematic

“Check, check and check again. It sounds simple but I’ve definitely learnt that building in a proper amount of time for checking your work always pays dividends. This can be applied to all parts of the research process” (Bethan Turner)

“Attention to detail - the ability to ensure that data is accurately presented and reported” (Anthony Shephard)ZD