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Abstract Interviewer variance is examined for 33 interviewers and 3,000 interviews, with age, sex, socioeconomic status, social mobility, and interviewer ratings as key variables. It differs among interview schedule items and is influenced by combinations of sex and age of interviewers and respondents. Selecting interviewers and assigning households-respondents to them is a complex process, and matching interviewers with respondents on "face sheet" characteristics may produce error in some instances while reducing error in others. Journal Information Since 1937, The Public Opinion Quarterly has been the leading interdisciplinary journal for practitioners and academicians studying the development and role of communication research, current public opinion, as well as the theories and methods underlying opinion research. Such methods include survey validity, questionnaire construction, interviewing and interviewers, sampling strategy, mode of administration, and analytic approaches. Each issue presents theoretical advances, along with tested applications throughout the social and behavioral sciences. Publisher Information Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. It currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals. Organizations recruit their employees with either a structured interviews or an unstructured
interviews. Though the structured interview process has many advantages, often times, management and human resources will use the unstructured format. The problem with this is that there are a lot of potential sources of error, which arise out of the use of the unstructured interview format. Understanding the possible errors will do two things. One, it will prepare one to conduct a proper structured interview. And two, it will provide insight into human decision-making. Here are some
potential sources of error with the unstructured interview format. When it comes to unstructured interviews, it should be clear that there are many possible sources of errors with the process. Decisions on hiring should be based on facts, evidence, analysis,
comparisons, and the use of expert judgment; not things such as eye contact and attractiveness. Published on January 27, 2022 by Tegan George. Revised on December 2, 2022. An unstructured interview is a data collection method that relies on asking participants
questions to collect data on a topic. Also known as non-directive interviewing, unstructured interviews do not have a set pattern and questions are not arranged in advance. In research, unstructured interviews are usually qualitative in nature, and can be very helpful for social science or humanities research focusing on personal experiences. An
unstructured interview can be a particularly useful exploratory research tool. Known for being very informal and flexible, they can yield captivating responses from your participants.
What is an unstructured interview?An unstructured interview is the most flexible type of interview, with room for spontaneity. In contrast to a structured interview, the questions and the order in which they are presented are not set. Instead, the interview proceeds based on the participant’s previous answers. Unstructured interviews are open-ended. This lack of structure can help you gather detailed information on your topic, while still allowing you to observe patterns in the analysis stage. When to use an unstructured interviewIt can be challenging to know what type of interview best fits your subject matter. Unstructured interviews can be very challenging to conduct, and may not always be the best fit for your research question. Unstructured interviews are best used when:
Even more so than in structured or semi-structured interviews, it is critical that you remain organized and develop a system for keeping track of participant responses. Since the questions are not set beforehand, the data collection and analysis becomes more complex. Differences between different types of interviewsMake sure to choose the type of interview that suits your research best. This table shows the most important differences between the four types.
Advantages of unstructured interviewsUnstructured interviews have a few advantages compared to other types of interviews.
Disadvantages of unstructured interviewsUnstructured interviews also have a few downsides compared to other data collection methods.
Unstructured interview questionsIt can be challenging to ask unstructured interview questions that get you the information you seek without biasing your responses. You will have to rely on the flow of the conversation and the cues you pick up from your participants. Here are a few tips:
Here are a few possibilities for how your conversation could proceed: Conversation A:
Since the participant hinted that going to the gym is important for their mental health, proceed with questions in that vein, such as:
Conversation B:
Since the participant seems to have strong feelings against the gym, you can probe deeper.
How to conduct an unstructured interviewOnce you’ve determined that an unstructured interview is the right fit for your research topic, you can proceed with the following steps. Step 1: Set your goals and foundationsAs you conceptualize your research question, consider starting with some guiding questions, such as:
While you do not need to plan your questions ahead of time for an unstructured interview, this does not mean that no advanced planning is needed. Unstructured interviews actually require extensive planning ahead to ensure that the interview stage will be fruitful.
Once you are feeling really solid about your research question, you can start brainstorming categories of questions you may ask. You can start with one broad, overarching question and brainstorm what paths the conversation could take. Step 2: Assemble your participantsThere are a few sampling methods you can use to recruit your interview participants, such as:
Step 3: Decide on your settingYou should decide ahead of time whether your interview will be conducted in-person, over the phone, or via video conferencing. In-person, phone, or video interviews each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Step 4: Conduct your interviewsAs you conduct your interviews, pay special attention to any environmental conditions that could bias your responses. This includes noises, temperature, and setting, but also your body language. Be careful to moderate your tone of voice and any responses to avoid interviewer effects. Remember that one of the biggest challenges with unstructured interviews is to keep your questions neutral and unbiased. Strive for open-ended phrasing, and allow your participants to set the pace, asking follow-up questions that flow naturally from their last answer. TipRemember to refer to your guide and keep your research question front-of-mind when asking spontaneous questions. Don’t be afraid to redirect a participant back to the main topic.How to analyze an unstructured interviewAfter you’re finished conducting your interviews, you move into the analysis phase. Don’t forget to assign each participant a pseudonym (such as a number or letter) to be sure you stay organized. First, transcribe your recorded interviews. You can then conduct content or thematic analysis to create your categories, seeking patterns that stand out to you among your responses and testing your hypotheses. Transcribing interviewsThe transcription process can be quite lengthy for unstructured interviews due to their more detailed nature. One decision that can save you quite a bit of time before you get started is whether you will be conducting verbatim transcription or intelligent verbatim transcription.
If you have room in your research budget, you can use transcription software. Be sure to double-check the finished transcriptions against your recordings before proceeding. Transcribing has the added benefit of being a great opportunity for cleansing your data. While you listen, you can take notes of questions or inconsistencies that come up. Note that in some cases, your supervisor may ask you to add the finished transcriptions in the appendix of your research paper. Coding unstructured interviewsAfter you’re finished transcribing, you can begin your thematic or content analysis. Here, you separate words, patterns, or recurring responses that stand out to you into labels or categories for later analysis. This process is called “coding.” Due to the open-ended nature of unstructured interviews, you will most likely proceed with thematic analysis, rather than content analysis. In thematic analysis, you draw preliminary conclusions about your participants through identifying common topics, ideas, or patterns in their responses.
Analyzing unstructured interviewsOnce you’re confident with your preliminary thoughts, you can take either an inductive or a deductive approach in your analysis.
Thematic analysis is quite subjective, which can lead to issues with the reliability of your results. The unstructured nature of this type of interview leads to greater dependence on your judgment and interpretations. Be extra vigilant about remaining objective here. Presenting your resultsAfter your data analysis, you’re ready to combine your findings into a research paper.
Example of interview methodology for a research paperLet’s say you are a history student particularly interested in the history of the town around your campus. The town has a long history dating back to the early 1600s, but town census data shows that many long-term residents have been moving away in recent years. You identify a few potential reasons for this shift:
Anecdotally, you hypothesize that the increased cost of living is the predominant factor in driving away long-time residents. However, you cannot rule out the possibility of the other options, specifically the lack of job options coupled with the university’s expansionist aims. You feel very comfortable with this topic and oral histories in general. Since it is exploratory in nature but has the potential to become sensitive or emotional, you decide to conduct unstructured interviews with long-term residents of your town. Multi-generational residents are of particular interest. To find the right mix of participants, you post in the Facebook group for town residents, as well as in the town’s NextDoor forum. You also post flyers in local coffee shops and even some mailboxes. Once you’ve assembled your participants, it’s time to proceed with your interviews. Consider starting out with an icebreaker, such as:
You can then proceed with the interview, asking follow-up questions relevant to your participants’ responses, probing their family history, ties to the community, or any stories they have to share– whether funny, touching, or sentimental. Establishing rapport with your participants helps you delve into the reasoning behind the choice to stay or leave, and competing thoughts and feelings they may have as the interview goes on. Remember to try to structure it like a conversation, to put them more at ease with the emotional topics. NoteBe careful of leading questions. Here’s an example:
After conducting your interviews and transcribing your data, you can then conduct thematic analysis, coding responses into different categories. Since you began your research with several theories for why residents may be leaving that all seemed plausible, you would use the inductive approach. After identifying the relevant themes from your data, you can draw inferences and conclusions. Your results section usually addresses each theme or pattern you found, describing each in turn, as well as how often you came across them in your analysis. Perhaps one reason in particular really jumped out from responses, or
maybe it was more of a mixed bag. Explain why you think this could be the case, and feel free to include lots of (properly anonymized) examples from the data to better illustrate your points. Frequently asked questions about unstructured interviewsWhen 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:
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. Social desirability bias is the tendency for interview participants to give responses that will be viewed favorably by the interviewer or other participants. It occurs in all types of interviews and surveys, but is most common in semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and focus groups. Social desirability bias can be mitigated by ensuring participants feel at ease and comfortable sharing their views. Make sure to pay attention to your own body language and any physical or verbal cues, such as nodding or widening your eyes. This type of bias can also occur in observations if the participants know they’re being observed. They might alter their behavior accordingly. Cite this Scribbr articleIf you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Is this article helpful?You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote... Which of the following is a source of error or bias and unstructured interviews?Which of the following is a source of error or bias in unstructured interviews? Low reliability between interviewers.
What are the disadvantages of unstructured interviews?Disadvantages of unstructured interviews. Low generalisability and reliability. The flexibility of unstructured interviews can allow for the flow of new ideas, but also lessen their reliability and generalisability. ... . Risk of leading questions. ... . Very time-consuming. ... . Risk of low internal validity.. What is an example of an unstructured interview?Oral history is a type of unstructured interview that gathers historical information about a research subject by interviewing individuals who have knowledge of the experiences of the research subject. It aims at gathering different perspectives of these experiences in order to arrive at objective findings.
What are the characteristics of unstructured interview?An unstructured interview is a data collection method that relies on asking participants questions to collect data on a topic. Also known as non-directive interviewing, unstructured interviews do not have a set pattern and questions are not arranged in advance.
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