Interviews

The questions are usually of an open-ended nature, but they can also be close-ended questions. Open-ended questions require the interviewee to elaborate, give an account, expound and/or reflect on what is being discussed. Close-ended questions usually just require a simple answer and can often be answered with one or a few words (or even a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no). Also, different questioning techniques can be used. The interviewer or researcher usually records the interview through the use of audio or video recording devices. They may also take notes during the interview. The recorded data is then transcribed (transferred into text form) for analysis. The potential of the interview method to produce rich and meaningful data makes it a popular methodological choice among researchers in the field of social sciences.

Interview Structures

There are three structural variants in the interview method: structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and semi-structured interviews [4] (e.g., Brinkmann, 2013).

• Structured Interviews are interviews that closely and systematically follow a particular structure or order. They are structured towards a particular direction with the intent of obtaining relevant research data towards answering the research questions. Questions are planned and scripted in advance and followed closely and in order. There is not much room for flexibility or reflexivity in questions in this format, but it does make for easier analysis and comparison between different participants.

• Unstructured interviews are interviews in which there are no planned or scripted questions that are prepared in advance. Instead, there are only topics or themes of discussion, and the discourse is allowed to flow freely as questions arising through natural dialogue are addressed. This interview format provides the most flexibility and reflexivity. Interviewers can obtain varied and rich data through this method, and it may also help interviewees feel more at ease because the interview essentially feels like a regular conversation. It may, however, be more complicated to analyse unstructured interviews, especially when it comes to comparing participants’ responses.

• Semi-structured interviews are the middle ground between structured and unstructured interviews and have the potential for offering researchers the benefits of both of these methods. In semi-structured interviews, some of the questions are planned and scripted in advance. Still, the interviewer leaves room for further questions and discussion which arise during the interview process itself [5](e.g., Freebody, 2003). This allows interviewers to plan questions that are specifically geared towards their research questions and data that they need while also allowing them to be flexible and reflexive.

Interview types and mediums

Different types are:

1. Individual Interviews- one-on-one interviews with a single individual.

2. Pair or Group Interviews - typically group interviews include around 3-10 participants who are interviewed simultaneously in a group. Pair or group interviews are a good option when interviewing individuals who may find one-on-one interviews overwhelming or intimidating, such as children and young people, shy persons, or marginalised individuals or groups.

Different mediums are:

1. face-to-face Interviews, meaning they are conducted in person, at a time and venue as agreed upon by the interviewer and the participants. This is most preferred and practiced format.

2. Phone or video interviews conducted via phone or video call have increased in popularity in recent years and has seen exponential growth in this post-COVID-19 research reality.

3. Email/Online interviews are conducted via email or other online platforms. The interviewer or researcher sends the participants the questions as an online text gets written responses. The written interview format, however, is the least flexible option out of these as it only works with structured questions and makes it difficult to ask follow-up questions or be reflexive.