{"id":363444,"date":"2022-03-10T10:10:26","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T09:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.nl\/?p=363444"},"modified":"2022-10-10T12:39:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T10:39:46","slug":"interviews-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/methodology\/interviews-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of Interviews in Research | Guide & Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"
An interview is a qualitative research<\/a> method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data<\/a>. Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions.<\/p>\n There are several types of interviews, often differentiated by their level of structure. Structured interviews<\/a> have predetermined questions asked in a predetermined order. Unstructured interviews<\/a> are more free-flowing, and semi-structured interviews<\/a> fall in between.<\/p>\n Interviews are commonly used in market research, social science, and ethnographic<\/a> research.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Structured interviews<\/strong> have predetermined questions in a set order. They are often closed-ended, featuring dichotomous (yes\/no) or multiple-choice questions. While open-ended structured interviews exist, they are much less common. The types of questions asked make structured interviews a predominantly quantitative<\/a> tool.<\/p>\n Asking set questions in a set order can help you see patterns among responses, and it allows you to easily compare responses between participants while keeping other factors constant. This can mitigate biases<\/a> and lead to higher reliability and validity. However, structured interviews can be overly formal, as well as limited in scope and flexibility.<\/p>\n Semi-structured interviews<\/strong> are a blend of structured and unstructured interviews. While the interviewer has a general plan for what they want to ask, the questions do not have to follow a particular phrasing or order.<\/p>\n Semi-structured interviews are often open-ended, allowing for flexibility, but follow a predetermined thematic framework, giving a sense of order. For this reason, they are often considered “the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat is a structured interview?<\/h2>\n
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What is a semi-structured interview?<\/h2>\n