Short-answer questions
Answer each question carefully. Consult your Social Research text when
your memory fails you or when you are in doubt about the accuracy of your
responses.
1 Interviews
are surveys conducted orally.
2
Interviews can be structured or unstructured, depending on the degree to which
interviewers have to adhere to prescribed strict guidelines.
3
Interviews can be standardised or unstandardised; the former contain fixed
alternative questions, the latter open-ended questions.
4
Individual interviews involve one respondent at a time; group interviews include
interviews with groups of people.
5
Other-administered and self-administered interviews vary according to who
administers the interview.
6
Unique interviews are conducted once; panel interviews are repeated more than
once.
7
Open interviews are unstructured and unstandardised interviews.
8
Ethnographic interviews involve key informants who convey information about the
research question.
9
Delphi interviews are ethnographic interviews conducted in stages and involving
the participation of the respondents in data collection and analysis.
10
Focused interviews are interviews focusing on a specific topic, which is
presented through a stimulus such as a film, a written report or a situation.
11
Narrative interviews introduce a topic for discussion and encourage the
respondent to offer as much information as possible.
12
Intensive interviews are mostly unstructured and unstandardised, aimed at an
in-depth exploration of the issues in question.
13 In
qualitative research, interviews are single and personal, employ open-ended
questions and are open and flexible.
14 The
tasks of the interviewer are, among other things, to choose the respondents (in
quota sampling), arrange the interview conditions, ask the questions, control
the interview situation, avoid bias, record the answers and guard the principles
of ethics.
15
Choosing interviewers to be similar in background to respondents not only makes
entry into the world of respondents easier but also promotes trust, mutual
understanding and cooperation and therefore reduces bias and distortion.
16
Telephone interviewing produces quick results, can study large samples, is
relatively economical, promotes open communication, reduces bias and guarantees
more anonymity than face-to-face interviews.
17
Telephone interviews have a high refusal rate, cannot control the identity of
the respondent or the interview process overall, and cannot address all possible
respondents (for example, those without a telephone, or with unlisted numbers).
18
Interviews have many advantages and limitations of which the researcher must be
aware when deciding on the appropriate method of data collection.
19
Interviews can now be carried out via computers. CAPI and CODSCI are two
examples of computer-driven interviews.
20
Errors in interviewing can be associated with recording of data, evaluation of
responses and instructions given to interviewers.