Transcript powerpoint on questionnaires and interviews

Write revision cards for the
following topics:
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Advantages & disadvantages of questionnaires
Advantages & disadvantages of using structured
interview to administer questionnaire
Definition + advantages & disadvantages of
structured interviews
Definition + advantages & disadvantages of semistructured interviews
Definition + advantages & disadvantages of
unstructured interviews
Questionnaires &
Structured Interviews
Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires
Self Completion
 Where the respondent
answers at leisure and posts
back or has it collected
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires
Advantages
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Inexpensive – no interviewer to pay
Large samples can be covered
Fast and efficient analysis can be made
Answers can be quantified
Postal q’res allow a greater
geographical area to be studied
No interviewer bias
Fill in at leisure
Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires
Disadvantages
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Low response
Often well below 50% for postal q’res
Therefore not representative
Respondents might not understand the
q’s and there is no one to ask
Answers may be incomplete, illegible
or incomprehensible
Closed q’s can limit what respondents
want to say
Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires
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Structured Interviews
Here the interviewer goes through
the questions and records
responses
Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires
Advantages
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Response rate is good
Interviewers can help to explain
things
This can result in more
information
Respondents who can’t read or
write can be included
Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires
Disadvantages
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More expensive – training and
paying interviewers
Cost increases if the sample is
spread over a large area
Interviewer bias can affect
responses
Interviews
Structured interviews
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Simply questionnaires read out by
an interviewer
The same q’s are read to everyone
in the same order
Semi-structured interviews
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The questions are in order but the
interviewer has the right to ask the
respondent to elaborate on
answers
Unstructured interviews
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These are more like a
conversation
Rather than set questions there
are a list of topics to cover
Q’s are open and the respondent
has space to answer as fully as
they want
Group interviews
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The interviewer usually meets 8-10
people at one go
Focus groups are a type of group
interview where the group
discusses various pre-set issues
Structured interviews - advantages
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Many are the same as
questionnaires
Good for
:facts
:Comparable data
:quantitative data
less interviewer bias than ones
below
Structured interviews - disadvantages
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Limit answers
Can’t elaborate
Semi-Structured interviews - advantages
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Shares ads of structured
interviews
Plus interviewer can probe for
more info
Adds depth to interview
Semi-Structured interviews -disadvantages
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Loss of standardisation &
comparability
Probes make each interview
slightly different
More chance of interviewer bias
than above
Group interviews - advantages
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Focus groups are becoming more
popular
Can produce rich qualitative data
Group interviews - disadvantages
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Individuals can be influenced by
the group
Individuals may feel that they
haven’t had a chance to give their
own view
Unstructured Interviews- advantages
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Sensitive issues can be researched
Interviewee is put at ease
Interviewee can open up more
Not restricted to pre set answers
Answers can be developed further
Interviewer can ask further
questions
Unstructured Interviews- advantages
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Gives rich indepth data
Seen as more valid
Good for opinions, values and
attitudes
Skilled interviewers can help
explain and draw out more info than
other types of interview
Unstructured Interviews- disadvantages
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Interviewer bias is more of a
problem
Age, gender, ethnicity etc of
interviewer may affect reponses
Social desirability – interviewees
want to present themselves in a
certain way
Truth – some tell lies intentionally
Unstructured Interviews- disadvantages
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Some genuinely forget details
Validity can be questioned
Comparability is difficult with the
qualitative data produced
Difficult to code and quantify data
Difficult to see correlations