INTERVIEWS

Presenters:
Robert Farnsworth Roshani Shrestha Ardis Holldorsdottir Hannah Schechter

Introduction
Benney and Hughes (1970) stated that An interview is the favored digging tool of social researchers. They rely largely on verbal accounts to learn about social life.

Historical Men
Charles Booth 1840-1916 -Combined census data with interviews,
observations and notes from the London School Board -Determined social class -Produced poverty maps of London

Sigmund Freud 1856-1939

-Psychoanalysis

More Historical Men

William Isaac Thomas 1863-1947
-Studied in Germany -Interests in ethnography -Studied Polish immigrants -Wrote book with Florian Znaniecki The Polish Peasant

George Gallup 1901-1984

-The Gallup Poll -Interviewing public opinion -Global survey in 1976 of Quality of life around the world -Market research

Original & Current Techniques

Past- War Torture & Interrogation Present- Ahhhh- War. Torture & Interrogation

 Conservation Social Sciences Landscape Architecture Sociology Anthropology Psychology Education Business Media Medicine War

Disciplines

Types of Interviews
Structured Interviews Semi-structured Interviews

Unstructured Interviews

Structured Interviews
Quantitative Approach Definition
Interviewer gives a set of predetermined questions or probes to the interviewees

Aim
Measures facts, attitudes, knowledge, behavior Finding accurate information without influences from the researcher

Structured Interviews
Relationship between interviewer and interviewee
Minimize interaction No distractions

No flexibility
strict control over interview

Structured Interviews
Concern While Conducting Interviews
Keeping control of how questions are asked Using the same questions for all interviewees Following a fixed order Using a rating scale or tick box Ethical considerations

Structured Interviews
Strengths Control Reliability Speed Structuring reduces variability Efficient use of time Weaknesses Close of theoretical avenues Limit freedom to talk Miss what interviewees think is important Does not allow complexity of answers

Structured Interviews
Quality of Data
Framing interview with tactics Data collection process Interpreting interview

Types of Interviews
Telephone Face-to-face Mail (usually associated with survey research

Structured Interviews
Types of characteristics Defi nition Quality of data Sampling Data collection Face to face interviews Type of interview where the interviewer has direct contact with the interviewee T rained interviewer T elephone interviews Type of interview where the interviewer has an indirect contact with the interviewee. T rained interviewer From telephone or address T he interviewer contacts each member of the sample to conduct the interview in person From a telephone directory People are interviewed at the time of the first phone call or at another , more convenient time Data recording Involvement of r esearcher Video, tape recorder, notes T he researcher has direct contact with the interviewee, but does not influence the interview Enables the interviewer to establish rapport with the respondent T ape recorder T he researcher has phone contact with the interviewee. Less costly than personal interview Produce results quickly T he interviewer has control of the interview More effe ctive when the number of the questions is relatively small and time available to gather data is short Not all people have telephone T elephone directories could be incomplete Necessity of knowledgeable supervisor

Mail interviews Type of interview where the interviewer doe snt have any contact with the interviewee. Well defi ned and administrated questionnaire From a complete list of population Eachh member of the sample receives a notice letter in advance, followed by a questionnaire. T hen within a week they receive a postcard reminder Questionnaire T he researcher is completely separated from the interviewee Do not need trained interviewers Minimize sampling error at relative low cost

Strength

Weaknesses

Higher cost of the survey Expensive Time consuming

T hey are sensitive to non coverage error Some people are less likely to respond to the questionnaire than others T he researcher has little control over what happens to the questionnaire after it is mailed.

Semi-Structured Interviews
Everyone gets the same questions asked, but there is flexibility in how they are asked. Particularly useful for exploring the views of a subject towards something

Semi-Structured Interviews
Strengths Well suited for exploring attitudes, values, beliefs, and motives. Sensitive areas (Barriball, 1993) Non-verbal indicators assist in evaluating truthfulness/validity and urgency (Farnsworth, 2006) Facilitates getting every question answered Ensures the respondent is working on his/her own Can potentially increase response rate

Semi-Structured Interviews
Weaknesses Equivalence of meaning difficulties may arise Preferred social response Non-response/particular groups being unrepresented Invasion of privacy Extenuating circumstances Prejudices, stereotypes, appearances and/or perceptions of researcher may alter response

Semi-Structured Interviews
Getting Beyond the Constraints Constructing the questionnaire is critical (Lazarsfeld, 1954) All questions must comply with three principles
Specification Division Tacit Assumption

Semi-Structured Interviews
Training for the interviews
Developing competency and understanding of the study Developing an awareness of potential errors or biases

Unstructured Interviews
Also known as Qualitative interviewing Non-directive interviewing Non-standardized interviewing Open-ended interviewing In-depth interviewing

Unstructured Interviews
Qualitative approach Definition
repeated face-to-face encounters between the researcher and the informants directed toward understanding informants perspective on their lives, experiences, or situations as expressed in their own words
(Taylor & Bogdan, 1998, p. 88)

Unstructured Interviews
Aim/Logic Learn what is
Important to the participants What meaning the phenomenon under study has to them Their point of view Their understanding and experiences

Types of in-depth interviews

Life History Learn about events and activities that cannot be observed directly To yield a broad picture of a range of settings, situations, or people Group interviews

Unstructured Interviews
Create trust between researcher and participant
Anonymity and confidentiality Follow cultural rules nice and gentle Show interest Be understanding

Unstructured Interviews
To conduct a good interview You need to
Be nonjudgmental Ask open questions Allow people to speak Be a good listener Tolerate the silence Probe when it is appropriate Make sure you have the right understanding

Unstructured Interviews
Strengths
Rich data Understand what is important to the participant General understanding of provided when little is know about the issue Important concepts are uncovered that can eventually guide future enquiries

Weaknesses
People say and do different things in different situations Language barriers Time consuming Researchers bias Little control Attention not focused on a given issue Very little factual information provided

Informed consent Make sure the participants understand what the research is for and where it will be published Protecting participants by changing names and places when necessary Nonjudgmental interviewers Trustworthy interviewers Confidentiality Member-checking

Ethics

Examples in CSS
Alicia De la Cruz-Novey Peruvian Tourism
Comparing three protected areas- rainforest, coast, and highlands Semi-structured interviews & archival data
How tour operators and local tourist initiatives can reduce negative impacts on the ecosystem

Questionnaires & archival data

Evaluate socioeconomic changes in communities with tourism plan

Questionnaires, archival data, & literature analysis

Evaluation of the cost and effectiveness of different types of participation for the development and implementation of tourism plans

Examples in CSS
Shannon Amberg

Perception of risks and benefits of eating fish

Will use semi-structured interviews to understand how media affects peoples choices Will use the results to write a survey

Conclusion

Remember Be like Oprah!

Current Techniques
Interviewing for dating services

And now for some dating fun...