2. Introduction
Benney and Hughes (1970) stated
that “An interview is the “favored
digging tool” of social researchers.
They rely largely on verbal
accounts to learn about social life.”
(as cited in Taylor and Bogdan, 1998. p. 87).
3. Historical Men…
Charles Booth 1840-1916
-Combined census data with interviews,
observations and notes from
the London School Board
-Determined social class
-Produced poverty maps of London
Sigmund Freud 1856-1939
-Psychoanalysis
4. More Historical Men…
William Isaac Thomas 1863-1947
-Studied in Germany
-Interests in ethnography
-Studied Polish immigrants
-Wrote book with Florian Znaniecki
“The Polish Peasant”
George Gallup 1901-1984
-The Gallup Poll
-Interviewing public opinion
-Global survey in 1976 of
Quality of life around the world
-Market research
6. Disciplines Conservation Social Sciences
Landscape Architecture
Sociology
Anthropology
Psychology
Education
Business
Media
Medicine
• War
10. Structured Interviews
Concern While Conducting Interviews
Keeping control of how questions are
asked
Using the same questions for all
interviewees
Following a fixed order
Using a rating scale or tick box
Ethical considerations
12. Structured Interviews
Quality of Data
Framing interview with tactics
Data collection process
Interpreting interview
Types of Interviews
Telephone
Face-to-face
Mail (usually associated
with survey research
13. Structured InterviewsTypes of characteristics Face to face interviews Telephone interviews Mail interviews
Definition Type of interview where
the interviewer has direct
contact with the
interviewee
Type of interview where
the interviewer has an
indirect contact with the
interviewee.
Type of interview where
the interviewer doesn’t
have any contact with the
interviewee.
Quality of data Trained interviewer Trained interviewer Well defined and
administrated questionnaire
Sampling From telephone or address From a telephone directory From a complete list of
population
Data collection The interviewer contacts
each member of the sample
to conduct the interview in
person
People are interviewed at
the time of the first phone
call or at another , more
convenient time
Eachh member of the
sample receives a notice
letter in advance, followed
by a questionnaire. Then
within a week they receive
a postcard reminder
Data recording Video, tape recorder, notes Tape recorder Questionnaire
Involvement of researcher The researcher has direct
contact with the
interviewee, but does not
influence the interview
The researcher has phone
contact with the
interviewee.
The researcher is
completely separated from
the interviewee
Strength Enables the interviewer to
establish rapport with the
respondent
Less costly than personal
interview
Produce results quickly
The interviewer has control
of the interview
More effective when the
number of the questions is
relatively small and time
available to gather data is
short
Do not need trained
interviewers
Minimize sampling error at
relative low cost
Weaknesses Higher cost of the survey
Expensive
Time consuming
Not all people have
telephone
Telephone directories
could be incomplete
Necessity of
knowledgeable supervisor
They are sensitive to non
coverage error
Some people are less likely
to respond to the
questionnaire than others
The researcher has little
control over what happens
to the questionnaire after it
is mailed.
14. Semi-Structured
Interviews
Everyone gets the same questions
asked, but there is flexibility in how they
are asked.
Particularly useful for exploring the
views of a subject towards
something
15. Semi-Structured
Interviews
Strengths
Well suited for exploring attitudes, values, beliefs, and
motives…. Sensitive areas (Barriball, 1993)
Non-verbal indicators assist in evaluating
truthfulness/validity and urgency (Farnsworth, 2006)
Facilitates getting every question answered
Ensures the respondent is working on his/her own
Can potentially increase response rate…
16. Semi-Structured
Interviews
Weaknesses
‘Equivalence of meaning’ difficulties may arise
‘Preferred social response’
Non-response/particular groups being unrepresented
Invasion of privacy
Extenuating circumstances
Prejudices, stereotypes, appearances and/or
perceptions of researcher may alter response
17. Semi-Structured
Interviews
Getting Beyond the Constraints
Constructing the questionnaire is critical
(Lazarsfeld, 1954)
All questions must comply with three
principles
Specification
Division
Tacit Assumption
21. Unstructured
InterviewsAim/Logic
Learn what is…
Important to the participants
What meaning the phenomenon under study has to them
Their point of view
Their understanding and experiences
Types of in-depth interviews
Life History
Learn about events and activities that cannot be observed
directly
To yield a broad picture of a range of settings, situations, or
people
Group interviews
22. Unstructured
InterviewsCreate trust between researcher and
participant
Anonymity and confidentiality
Follow cultural rules
“nice and gentle”
Show interest
Be understanding
23. Unstructured
InterviewsTo conduct a good interview
You need to…
Be nonjudgmental
Ask open questions
Allow people to speak
Be a good listener
Tolerate the silence
Probe when it is appropriate
Make sure you have the right
understanding
24. Unstructured
InterviewsStrengths
Rich data
Understand what is
important to the
participant
General understanding
of provided when little
is know about the issue
Important concepts are
uncovered that can
eventually guide future
enquiries
Weaknesses
People say and do
different things in
different situations
Language barriers
Time consuming
Researcher’s bias
Little control
Attention not focused
on a given issue
Very little factual
information provided
25. Ethics
Informed consent
Make sure the participants understand
what the research is for and where it will
be published
Protecting participants by changing
names and places when necessary
Nonjudgmental interviewers
Trustworthy interviewers
Confidentiality
Member-checking
26. Examples in CSS
Alicia De la Cruz-Novey
Peruvian Tourism
Comparing three protected areas- rainforest, coast, and
highlands
Semi-structured interviews & archival data
How tour operators and local tourist initiatives can reduce negative
impacts on the ecosystem
Questionnaires & archival data
Evaluate socioeconomic changes in communities with tourism plan
Questionnaires, archival data, & literature analysis
Evaluation of the cost and effectiveness of different types of
participation for the development and implementation of tourism
plans
27. Examples in CSS
Shannon Amberg
Perception of risks and benefits
of eating fish
Will use semi-structured
interviews to understand how
media affects people’s choices
Will use the results to write a
survey
