Write revision cards for the following topics: Advantages & disadvantages of questionnaires Advantages & disadvantages of using structured

interview to administer questionnaire Definition + advantages & disadvantages of

structured interviews Definition + advantages & disadvantages of semi-

structured 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

Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires

Advantages 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 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

Structured Interviews Here the interviewer goes through

the questions and records responses

Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires

Advantages

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

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 Simply questionnaires read out by

an interviewer The same q’s are read to everyone

in the same order

Semi-structured interviews The questions are in order but the

interviewer has the right to ask the respondent to elaborate on answers

Unstructured interviews 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 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 Many are the same as

questionnaires Good for :facts :Comparable data :quantitative data less interviewer bias than ones

below

Structured interviews - disadvantages

Limit answers Can’t elaborate

Semi-Structured interviews - advantages

Shares ads of structured interviews

Plus interviewer can probe for more info

Adds depth to interview

Semi-Structured interviews -disadvantages

Loss of standardisation & comparability

Probes make each interview slightly different

More chance of interviewer bias than above

Group interviews - advantages

Focus groups are becoming more popular

Can produce rich qualitative data

Group interviews - disadvantages

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

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

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

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

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