Write revision cards for the following topics n

Write revision cards for the following topics: n n n 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 n Where the respondent answers at leisure and posts back or has it collected n

Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires Advantages n n n n 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 n n n 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 n n Structured Interviews Here the interviewer goes through the questions and records responses

Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires Advantages n n 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 n n n 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 n n Simply questionnaires read out by an interviewer The same q’s are read to everyone in the same order

Semi-structured interviews n The questions are in order but the interviewer has the right to ask the respondent to elaborate on answers

Unstructured interviews n n n These are more like a conversation Rather than set questions there a list of topics to cover Q’s are open and the respondent has space to answer as fully as they want

Group interviews n n 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 n n n Many are the same as questionnaires Good for : facts : Comparable data : quantitative data less interviewer bias than ones below

Structured interviews - disadvantages n n Limit answers Can’t elaborate

Semi-Structured interviews - advantages n n n Shares ads of structured interviews Plus interviewer can probe for more info Adds depth to interview

Semi-Structured interviews -disadvantages n n n Loss of standardisation & comparability Probes make each interview slightly different More chance of interviewer bias than above

Group interviews - advantages n n Focus groups are becoming more popular Can produce rich qualitative data

Group interviews - disadvantages n n 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 n n n 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 n n 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 n n 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 n n n 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