✅ Strengths
It is quick, and the answers are easy to count and compare. Because every interview is the same, another researcher can repeat it, so it is reliable. The interviewer needs little skill.
Investigating Society » Interviews
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Cambridge spec: 1.3.3
- What an interview is and how structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews differ
- How group interviews and focus groups work
- The kind of data each method gives
- The strengths and limitations of each method
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Unlock This CourseTalking to people face to face
Face to face, a researcher can hear how people say things and ask them to explain - something a questionnaire can't do
A questionnaire asks many people to write their answers down. An interview is different. The researcher talks to people, one at a time or in a group, and asks questions out loud. The researcher can hear how people say things, ask them to explain, and see how they react.
Interviews are a primary research method, because the researcher collects the data first hand. They can give quantitative data, qualitative data, or both. It depends on how the interview is run.
Key terms:
- Interview: a method where the researcher asks questions out loud and the respondent answers.
- Interview schedule: the list of questions the interviewer plans to ask.
- Probing: asking a follow-up question to get a fuller answer, such as "Can you tell me more about that?"
Structured interviews
In a structured interview, the interviewer follows an interview schedule exactly. Every respondent gets the same questions, in the same order, in the same words. Most questions are closed, so the answers are short and easy to count.
It is rather like a questionnaire that is read out loud. It usually gives quantitative data.
❌ Limitations
It gives little detail and little depth. The interviewer cannot explore interesting answers. Respondents may feel the questions miss what really matters to them, so the data may not be valid.
Unstructured interviews
An unstructured interview is more like a conversation. The researcher has a topic and perhaps a few themes in mind, but no fixed questions. The respondent is free to talk, and the interviewer follows up whatever seems important.
It gives rich qualitative data, which fits the interpretivist approach.
✅ Strengths
It gives in-depth, detailed data and high validity. The respondent can say what matters to them, not what the researcher expected. The relaxed style helps build trust, which suits sensitive topics.
❌ Limitations
It takes a long time to carry out and to analyse, so samples are usually small. No two interviews are the same, so it is hard to repeat and low in reliability. The interviewer needs skill, and the interviewer effect can be strong.
Semi-structured interviews
A semi-structured interview sits in the middle. The interviewer has an interview schedule of set questions, but can use probing and ask extra questions when an answer is interesting. Some questions are closed and some are open.
It gives a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data.
✅ Strengths
The set questions allow some comparison between respondents, while probing gives depth. It balances reliability and validity.
❌ Limitations
It takes longer than a structured interview. Because follow-up questions differ, the answers are harder to compare. The interviewer still needs some skill.
Group interviews and focus groups
In a focus group, the researcher guides a small group's discussion and keeps it on track - people often spark ideas off each other
In a group interview, the researcher questions several people at the same time. A focus group is a type of group interview where a small group discusses a topic, led by the researcher, who guides the talk and keeps it on track. Respondents often respond to each other, not just to the researcher.
It gives qualitative data, including how people discuss and argue about an issue.
✅ Strengths
The researcher hears many views in one session, which saves time. Ideas build on each other, and the researcher sees how opinions form in a group. Some people feel more relaxed with others around them.
❌ Limitations
One person may dominate while shy people stay quiet. People may agree with the group instead of saying what they think. Sensitive topics are hard to discuss, and it is harder to record who said what.
Interviews compared with questionnaires
Interviews usually give more depth than questionnaires, and the interviewer can explain a question if a respondent is confused. But interviews cost more time and money for each respondent. This means the samples are smaller and may be less representative. Remember the interviewer effect from the lesson on judging research: the way the interviewer looks and speaks may change what respondents say.
Choosing a method: an example
Imagine a researcher wants to study how workers in a factory feel about a new shift pattern.
- To count how many workers like or dislike the new shifts, a structured interview is quick and gives numbers.
- To understand how the change felt, an unstructured interview lets each worker tell their own story.
- To do both in one visit, a semi-structured interview works well.
- To see how workers talk about the shifts together, a focus group suits the aim.
Common mistakes
Saying "interviews are better than questionnaires". Neither is better in every case. Link each point to the aim of the research. Another mistake is saying a structured interview "gives qualitative data". It mainly gives quantitative data. Do not mix up a group interview with a focus group: a focus group is one kind of group interview, with a discussion led by the researcher.
Exam-style question
A researcher wants to find out how older people feel about the community centre in their town. She holds ten interviews of about one hour each with people over 65. She asks each person the questions she has prepared, but she also asks extra questions when something interesting comes up.
(a) Identify two features of this type of interview. [2]
(b) Explain one strength and one limitation of this type of interview for this research. [4]
Model answer
(a) Any two: it uses set questions from an interview schedule (1); the interviewer asks extra questions or uses probing (1); it gives both quantitative and qualitative data (1).
(b) Strength: she can use probing to ask people to explain how they feel about the community centre (1), which gives detailed qualitative data and so high validity (1). Limitation: because the extra questions differ in each interview (1), the answers are hard to compare, and it takes a long time, so she can only interview a small sample (1).
Exam tip
In (b), use the words of the question. "Asks extra questions" is how you know it is semi-structured, and "how older people feel" tells you why depth matters.