What is Interview?

This involves conducting intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to
explore their perspectives on a particular idea, program, or situation.
Kinds of Interview
1. Unstructured Interview
This is more casual and unrehearsed. They depend on free-flowing conversation
which tends to focus on your personal qualities as they relate to the topic.
2. Semi-structured Interview
A qualitative method of inquiry that combines a pre-determined set of open
questions (questions that prompt discussion) with the opportunity for the interviewer to
explore particular themes or responses further.
3. Structured Interview
Also known as a standardized interview or a researcher-administered survey.
The aim of this approach is to ensure that each interview is presented with exactly the
same questions in the same order.
4. Focus Group
A tool for qualitative research where a group of people are selected and asked
about their opinion or perceptions about a particular topic. The environment is
interactive where the participants are free to discuss with each other.

TYPES OF OBSERVATION
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
o  It is a type of data collection method typically used in qualitative research.

o it is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly cultural anthropology,

European ethnology, sociology, communication studies, human geography and social
psychology
o during participant observation, the researcher works to play two separate roles at the
same time: subjective participant and objective observer
According to Howell (1972), there are four stages that most participant observations
studies. These are:
 ESTABLISHING RAPPORT
- is basically getting to know the members, and being able to visit a scene before the
study
- it is important to somehow create friendship, or at least be accepted in the
community, in order to obtain quality data (Howell, 1972)
IMMERSING ONESELF IN THE FIELD
- it is important for the researcher to connect or show connection with the population
- the researcher must strive to fit in with the population through moderation of
language and participation
- this form of rapport establishment can also be known as “talking the talk” and
“walking the walk” (DeWalt et al., 2011)
RECORDING DATA AND OBSERVATIONS
- researchers are encouraged to record their personal thoughts and feelings about the
subject of study
- researchers must be aware of the biases and enter the study with no misconceptions
about not bringing in any subjectivities into the data collection process (Richardson,
2000)
- Involves field notes, interviews, and reflexivity journals
ANALYZING DATA
- comes in two ways:
 Thematic Analysis: organizing data according to recurrent themes found in interviews or
other types of qualitative data collection
 Narrative Analysis: categorizing information gathered through interviews, finding
common themes, and constructing a coherent story from data

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
validity representatives
insight bias
flexibility practical disadvantages
practical advantages covert participation observation raises serious
ethical difficulties
NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
o  involves observing participants without actively participating

o this option is used to understand a phenomenon by entering the community or social

system involved, while staying separate from the activities being observed. 
o Unstructured non-participant research is used in qualitative research and are recorded
(as field notes, audio or video), transcribed verbatim then analyzed
o on the other hand, structured observation methods are often used to study focused
aspects of a setting as part of descriptive or cross-sectional studies; thus, it is selective

STRENGTHS:
the study/experiment is more natural
the study/experiment is more realistic
the study/experiment has low demand
characteristics
WEAKNESS:
it lacks control over the whole
study/experiment
there is/can be observer bias
there might be some ethical issues

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
objectivity and neutrality subjectivity
command respect and co-operation inadequate observation
more willingness of the respondent unnatural and formal information
careful analysis inconvenience to the respondents
freedom from groupism

LIMITATIONS:
 the observer effects
 the objectivity of the observer
 selectivity
 ethical concerns

SYSTEMATIC / DIRECT OBSERVATION

o is distinguished from participant observation in number of ways:

1. A direct observer doesn't typically try to become a participant in the context.

 2. Direct observation suggests a more detached perspective.
3. Direct observation tends to be more focused than participant observation.
4. Direct observation tends not to take as long as participant observation.

o during direct observation, it is common for an observer to be present who sits passively
and records as accurately as possible on what is going on.

QUESTIONNAIRE A
Types of Questions
1. Close Ended Questions
- Closed questions are used when you already have an idea what categories your
answers will fall into or you’re only interested in the frequency of particular answers.
Most commonly used closed-ended questions:
 Multiple Choice Survey Questions
-The multiple-choice survey questions consists of three or more
exhaustive, mutually exclusive categories. Multiple choice questions ask the
respondent to choose between two or more answer options.
 Dichotomous Questions
-Dichotomous questions are a specific type of multiple choice question
used when there are only two possible answers to a question. Respondents
must choose between two alternatives.
 Scaled Questions
- Scaled questions are used to measure people’s attitudes, opinions,
lifestyles and environments. There are many different types but the most
commonly used are Likert and slider scales.
2. Open Ended Questions
- Open-ended questions ask respondents to supply their own answer. No pre-
defined answers are given, so respondents are free to write what they want.

Layout of a questionnaire
1. Cover Page
2. The Instructions Page
3. The Questionnaire Proper
4. The Navigational Path
5. Survey Length

STRUCTURE OF A QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Opening
- shows courtesy and awaken the respondents interest on the topic.
2. Early Questions
- should be simple, close-ended, and easy to respond questions.
- should convey the theme of the study
3. Middle Questions
- ask the target questions.
4. Late Questions
- ask optional questions along with open-ended questions.
5. Closing
- build relation and show gratitude to the respondent.
- keep scope for future meetings and leave on a positive note.

A PRE-TEST usually refers to a small-scale trial of particular research components.

A PILOT STUDY is the process of carrying out a preliminary study, going through the entire
research procedure with a small sample.