6.1.9

Interviews

Test yourself

Interviews

There are three main types of interviews: structured, unstructured and semi-structured.

Illustrative background for InterviewsIllustrative background for Interviews ?? "content

Interviews

  • Interviews are a research method that can be structured or unstructured.
  • The aim of interviews is to collect answers from respondents.
  • Participants need to give their informed consent for their answers to be used for research purposes.
Illustrative background for Interviews cont.Illustrative background for Interviews cont. ?? "content

Interviews cont.

  • Anonymity and confidentiality need to be guaranteed.
  • Conducting an interview can be complicated for the sociologist:
    • It might be hard to stay objective.
    • It might be hard to separate useful from useless information.
Illustrative background for Structured interviewsIllustrative background for Structured interviews ?? "content

Structured interviews

  • Structured interviews use predetermined questions, which prevent the researcher from diverting.
  • Structured interviews resemble the questionnaires (the difference being that they are face-to-face).
  • Easier to analyse and draw patterns and trends.
  • Disadvantage: might not produce qualitative data.
Illustrative background for Unstructured interviewsIllustrative background for Unstructured interviews ?? "content

Unstructured interviews

  • The theme is predetermined, but the questions are not.
  • The researcher can follow up on the respondent's answers in order to dig deeper
  • The researcher can use the respondent's body language to assess how truthful their answers are.
  • Disadvantage: unstructured interviews can be very time consuming and hard to analyse.
Illustrative background for Semi-structured interviewsIllustrative background for Semi-structured interviews ?? "content

Semi-structured interviews

  • Semi-structured interviews are a combination of the two aforementioned interview types.
  • Some sociologists prefer this type as the drawbacks of each question type is usually eliminated.

Focus Groups

Focus groups are usually small groups who are selected in order to answer questions related to a particular issue.

Illustrative background for AdvantagesIllustrative background for Advantages ?? "content

Advantages

  • Focus groups can help sociologists by revealing shared beliefs.
  • Sociologists can watch the interactions between the members to gauge whether or not they are being honest.
Illustrative background for DisadvantagesIllustrative background for Disadvantages ?? "content

Disadvantages

  • Focus groups can also hinder sociologists’ work because:
    • Strong-minded participants can dominate the whole discussion, without leaving any room for elaboration from the rest.
    • Individuals might be affected and conform to the majority because they want to be part of the group and not seen as outcasts.
    • It can be complex for sociologists to maintain confidentiality.

Evaluating Interviews

Illustrative background for Social desirability biasIllustrative background for Social desirability bias ?? "content

Social desirability bias

  • Social desirability bias describes any variable that can affect the respondents’ answers (e.g. age, gender etc. of the interviewer).
  • These variables can make the interviewee alter their answers because they might wish to please the interviewer or they might be embarrassed.
Illustrative background for Interviewer bias/interviewer effectIllustrative background for Interviewer bias/interviewer effect ?? "content

Interviewer bias/interviewer effect

  • Sociologists have developed ways to overcome interview bias:
    • Dressing appropriately depending on the circumstances
    • Keeping a neutral stance.
  • Feminist sociologists believe that the best way to deal with interviewer bias is by building rapport and being emotionally involved.
Illustrative background for Advantages of interviewsIllustrative background for Advantages of interviews ?? "content

Advantages of interviews

  • Interviews produce qualitative data.
  • Interviews are more valid than quantitative data.
  • If the interviews are unstructured, the researcher can be more flexible with their questions and get more in-depth information.
Illustrative background for Disadvantages of interviewsIllustrative background for Disadvantages of interviews ?? "content

Disadvantages of interviews

  • If interviews are structured, they can’t offer qualitative data.
  • If interviews are unstructured, they can be time-consuming, costly, hard to analyse and low in reliability as they are hard to replicate.
  • Interviewer effect/bias can affect the accuracy of results.

Jump to other topics

1The Sociological Approach

1.1Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?

1.1.2Culture & Socialisation

1.2Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism

1.2.2Marxism 2

1.2.3Functionalism

1.2.4Feminism

1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach

2Families

2.1Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family

2.1.2Marxist Views on Family

2.1.3Feminist Views on Family

2.2Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?

2.2.2Nuclear Family

2.2.3Families in a Global Context

2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity

2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity

2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms

2.3Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles

2.4Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline

2.4.2Domestic Abuse

2.4.3Symmetrical Family

2.5Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families

2.5.2Marxist Views of Families

2.5.3Feminist Views of Families

2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate

2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families

2.6Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate

2.6.2Consequences of Divorce

2.6.3Functionalist Views

2.6.4Marxist Views

2.6.5Feminist Views

2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce

3Education

3.1Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach

3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives

3.1.3Types of School

3.1.4Alternative Education

3.1.5State & Private Schools

3.2Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes

3.2.2External Processes

3.3Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success

3.3.2Social Class & Education

3.3.3Social Class & External Factors

3.3.4Gender & Education

3.3.5Ethnicity & Education

3.3.6Parental Choice

3.3.7History of UK Education Policy

3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy

3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education

4Crime & Deviance

4.1The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance

4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime

4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime

4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime

4.2Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control

4.2.2Formal Social Control

4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime

4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime

4.3.2Social Class & Crime

4.3.3Gender & Crime

4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime

4.3.5Age & Crime

4.3.6Criminal Responsibility

4.3.7The Prison System

4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime

4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime

4.4Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime

4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

5Social Stratification

5.1Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?

5.1.2Functionalism

5.1.3Socio-Economic Class

5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 2

5.1.5Life Chances

5.1.6The Affluent Worker

5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion

5.2Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty

5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty

5.2.3Explanations of Poverty

5.2.4Impact of Globalisation

5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue

5.3Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber

5.3.2Sociological Perspectives

5.3.3Power Relationships

5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority

6Sociological Research Methods

6.1Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design

6.1.2The Scientific Method

6.1.3Other Considerations

6.1.4Primary Sources

6.1.5Secondary Sources

6.1.6Surveys

6.1.7Sampling

6.1.8Questionnaires

6.1.9Interviews

6.1.10Observation

6.1.11Statistics

6.1.12Case Studies

6.1.13Longitudinal Studies

6.1.14Ethnography

6.1.15Experiments

6.1.16Small Scale Research

6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson

Questionnaires

Observation