1. Slide 10.1 Chapter 10 Collecting primary data using
semi-structured, in-depth and group interviews Saunders, Lewis and
Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition,
Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
2. Slide 10.2 Research interviews Definition An interview is a
purposeful discussion between two or more people Kahn and Cannell
(1957) Types of interview used in research Semi-structured In-depth
Structured Group Saunders et al. (2009) Saunders, Lewis and
Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition,
Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
3. Slide 10.3 Purpose of an interview Interview is a discussion
between two or more people for a purpose Interviews help us to
gather valid and reliable data that are relevant to our research
questions and objectives Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research
Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip
Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
4. Slide 10.4 Research purpose and strategy (1) Forms of
interview Saunders et al. (2009) Figure 10.1 Forms of interview
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business
Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian
Thornhill 2009
5. Slide 10.5 Structured Interview It uses questionnaires based
on a pre-determined and standardised or identical set of questions.
These are referred to as intervieweradministered questionnaires You
read out each question and then record the response on a schedule
usually with pre-coded answers As structured interviews are used to
collect quantifiable data they are also referred to as Quantitative
research interviews Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods
for Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
6. Slide 10.6 Semi-structured Interviews It allows researcher
to have a list of themes and questions to be covered in the
interview although this may vary Because these interviews are
non-standardised, they are often referred to as Qualitative
research interviews You may omit some questions in the interview
whereas order of the questions may also vary according to the flow
of conversation Additional questions may be required to explore
your research questions Nature of the questions and the discussion
mean that data will be recorded by audio-recording or perhaps
note-taking. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for
Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
7. Slide 10.7 Unstructured Interviews These are informal
interviews and we use them to explore in depth a general idea in
our research field There is no pre-determined list of questions to
work through in this situation The interviewee is given the
opportunity to talk freely about events, behaviour and beliefs in
relation to the topic area Therefore, it is better known as
Informanl interview since it is the interviewees perceptions that
guide the conduct of the interview. In comparison, a participants
(respondent) interview is one where the interviewer directs the
interview, and interviewee responds to the questions of the
researcher Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for
Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
8. Slide 10.8 Interview and type of research In an exploratory
research study, in-depth interviews can be very helpful to find out
what is happening and to seek new insight. Semi structured or un
structured interviews may be used in relation to an exploratory
study. In descriptive studies structured interviews can be used as
a means to identify general patterns. In an explanatory study, semi
structured and semi structured interviews can be used in order to
understand the relationships between variables, such as those
revealed from a descriptive study, structured interview may also be
used in relation to an explanatory study, in statistical sense.
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business
Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian
Thornhill 2009
9. Slide 10.9 Research purpose and strategy (2) Uses of
different types of interview in each of the main research
categories Saunders et al. (2009) Table 10.1 Uses of different
types of interview in each of the main research categories
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business
Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian
Thornhill 2009
10. Slide 10.10 Approaches to questioning Open questions
Probing questions Specific and closed questions Saunders, Lewis and
Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition,
Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
11. Slide 10.11 Open questions The use of open question will
allow participants to define and describe the situation or event.
An open Questionnaire is designed to encourage the interviewee to
provide an extensive and developmental answer and may be used to
reveal attitudes or obtain facts. It encourages the interviewee to
reply as they wish. An open question is likely to start with or
include, one of the following words: what, or how, or why,.
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business
Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian
Thornhill 2009
12. Slide 10.12 Probing questions Can be used to explore
responses that are of significance to the research topic. They may
be worded like open questions but request a particular focus or
direction. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for
Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
13. Slide 10.13 Specific and closed questions These types of
questions are simpler to those used in structured interviews. They
can be used to obtain specific information or to confirm a fact or
opinion. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for
Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
14. Slide 10.14 Interviewing competence In relation to
semi-structured and in-depth research interviews, we need to
develop competence in following areas: opening the interview using
appropriate language Questioning Listening Testing and summarizing
understanding Recognizing and dealing with difficult participants
Recording data Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for
Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
15. Slide 10.15 Recognizing and dealing with difficult
participants Recognized difficulty Suggestion Participant appears
willing only to give If it is due to limited time, or worries
monosyllabic answers (yes/no) about anonymity, then this can be
minimized by careful opening of the interview Participant
repeatedly provides long We actually need to impose more answers
which digress from the focus of direction although some long
answers can your interview be tolerated. By referring back to an
earlier relevant point and asking them to tell you more, or
requesting that they pause so that note down what they have said.
Participant starts interviewing you You need to stress that you are
interested in their opinions and if they wish, they can ask you
questions in the end. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research
Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip
Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
16. Slide 10.16 Participant is proud of their status This is
extremely difficult and at times relative to you and wants to show
off you will have to listen attentively and be their knowledge
criticizing what you do respectful. Be confident and prepared to
justify your research and the research design you have chosen as
you should have knowledge about your research. Participant becomes
noticeably upset Another difficult situation for you. during
interview You need to give your participant time to answer your
question and, in particular, do not do anything to suggest that you
are feeling impatient. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research
Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip
Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
17. Slide 10.17 Group interviews Non-standardized interviews
may also be conducted on a group basis, where the interviewer asks
questions to a group of participants Group interview is used as a
general term to describe all nonstandardized interviews (focus
group, group interview, group discussion etc ) conducted with two
or more people. The term focus group is used to refer to those
group interview where the topic where the topic is defined clearly
and there is focus on recording interactive discussion between
participants. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for
Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
18. Slide 10.18 Group Interview In a group interview you role
will be to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to
state their points of view and answer your question This type of
interview can range from being highly structured to unstructured
although it tends to be relatively unstructured and free flowing.
Group interactions may lead to a highly productive discussion as
interviewees respond to your questions and evaluate points made by
the group Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for
Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and
Adrian Thornhill 2009
19. Slide 10.19 Focus groups A focus group interview is a group
interview that focuses clearly upon a particular issue, product,
service or topic and encompasses the need for interactive
discussion amongst participants If you are running a focus group,
you will probably be referred to as moderator facilitator and your
job will be to: -- keep the group with the boundaries of the topic
-- generate interest in the topic and encourage discussion whilst
at the same time dont allow the group towards certain opinions
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business
Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian
Thornhill 2009