Collecting Primary Data using Semi-Structured, In-

Depth and Group Interviews

Partha Saha

Calcutta Business School

 Introduction
• Research topic : What ,Where ,Why and How
‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought
to walk from here?’
‘That depends a good deal on where you want
to get to’, said the Cat.
‘I don’t much care where’, said Alice.
‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk’,
said the Cat
2
Alice’s Adventures inWonderland 3/15/2018
 Introduction
Semi-Structured, In Depth and Group Interviews in Research Design
• Outcome
• Classify research interviews to understand purpose of each type
• Semi-structured and in-depth interviews, Limitations
• Potential Data Quality Issues and ways to Overcome
• Competence to undertake semi-structured and in-depth interviews
• Logistical and resource issues
• Advantages/ Disadvantages of using one-to-one/ group interviews
• Interview Types
• Structured Interviews
• Semi-Structured Interviews;
• Unstructured or In-Depth Interviews
• Interview typology (Healey 1991; Healey and Rawlinson 1993, 1994)
• Standardized interviews;
3 • Non-standardized interviews 3/15/2018
Structured Interview
• Structured Interview
• Predetermined and ‘standardised’ or identical set of questions
• Interviewer-Administered Questionnaires
• Question and record the response on a standardised schedule , pre-coded answers
• Minimal social interaction; Avoiding Bias
• Quantitative Research interview (Quantitative data)
• Semi – structured / In-depth interviews
• Non-standardised’,‘Qualitative Research interviews
• List of themes and Questions (vary from interview to interview)
• Omit-Add questions depending on organization context
• Audio-recording the conversation

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Un-Structured Interview
• Un-Structured Interview
• Informal
• Explore in depth a general area of interest
• No Predetermined list of questions
• Talk freely about events, behaviour and beliefs
• ‘Non-Directive’ ; Informal interview
• Face to Face interviews
• One-to-one Basis, between Interviewer and a single participant
• Group interview
• Interview by Telephone, Internet, Intranet
• Semi-structured or in-depth interview on a group basis

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 Interview Types

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 Interview Types vs. Research Categoris

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Non-Standardized Qualitative Interview
• Non-standardized Interview requirements
• Purpose of the research;
• Significance of Establishing Personal Contact
• Nature of the Data Collection Questions;
• Length of Time required and Completeness of the process
• Purpose of Research
• Undertaking an exploratory study/research
• Infer causal relationship between variables
• Probe answers, where interviewees to explain, or build on, their responses
• Opportunity to probe meanings will add significance and depth to data
• Interviewee an opportunity to hear themself ‘thinking aloud’

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Non-Standardized Qualitative Interview
• Significance of establishing personal contact
• Participants prefer to be interviewed rather than fill in a questionnaire
• Interviewees to receive feedback and personal assurance
• Questionnaire via the Internet, the intranet or through the post reluctant to
complete it for a number of reasons
• Not appropriate to provide sensitive and confidential information to
someone they have never met
• Meaning of any question is not entirely clear
• Achieve a higher response rate than using questionnaires
• Nature of questions
• Large number of questions to be answered;
• Questions are either Complex or Open-ended;
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 Non-Standardized Qualitative Interview
• Length of time required and completeness of process
• Difficulty of trying to design a viable questionnaire schedule to cope with issues
that are complex, unclear, or large in number
• Time needed for the participant to complete the questionnaire may mean that
an interview is in any case the best or only alternative
• Interview arranged at a time when interviewee will be under least pressure
• Data Quality issues
• Reliability
• Forms of Bias
• Validity and Generalizability

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 Data Quality Issues
• Reliability
• Lack of Standardisation in Interviews
• Alternative researchers would reveal similar information
• Bias (Interviewer Bias)
• Comments,Tone or Non-verbal Behaviour of interviewer creates bias
• Impose your own Beliefs and Frame of Reference
• Demonstrate Bias in the way responses interpreted
• Unable to develop the Trust of Interviewee
• Credibility lacking
• Value of the information given may also be limited
• Bias (Interviewee or Response Bias)
• Perceptions about the interviewer
11 • Interviewees not to Reveal / Discuss Sensitive information
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 Overcoming Data Quality Issues
• Preparation
• Level of knowledge of organizational topic and issues
• Level of Information supplied to the interviewee (interview themes)
• Appropriateness of Location (safety, security, comfort)
• Appropriateness of Researcher’s Appearance in the interview
• Nature of opening comments and first few minutes of impression
• Approach to Questioning
• Nature and impact of the interviewer’s behaviour during interview
period
• Demonstration of attentive listening skills (semi-structured, in-depth
interview)
• Approach to recording data
•
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 Overcoming Data Quality Issues
• Contextual Data
• Location of the interview (e.g. the organisation, the place);
• Date and time;
• Setting of the interview (e.g. room quiet or noisy, could you be overheard,
were you interrupted?);
• Background information about participant (e.g. role, post title, gender);
• Your immediate impression of how well (or badly) interview went (e.g. was
the participant reticent, were there aspects about which you felt you did not
obtain answers in sufficient depth?)
• Cultural Differences and Bias
• Misinterpretation of responses because of cultural differences between
the interviewee and the interviewer
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 Preparation
• Preparation and Checklist
• Level of preparation and knowledge
• Broad focus of in-depth interview
• Type of information, useful to send to your interviewee prior to the interview
• Agree to supply to your interviewee when you arranged the interview
• Appearance during the interview
• Impact of interview location on participants’ responses and personal safety
• Prepare to commence the interview with confidence and purpose
• Tell interviewee about self, research purpose, funding and progress
• Concerns, or need for Clarification, may interviewee have
• Overcome these concerns or provide this clarification
• Data access, confidentiality, interviewee’s anonymity
14 • Right not to answer particular questions and to end the interview
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 Interviewing Competence
• Interviewing Competence
• Opening the interview;
• Using appropriate language;
• Questioning;
• Listening;
• Testing and summarising understanding;
• Recognising and dealing with difficult participants
• Recording Data
• Questioning
• Your approach to asking questions
• Allowing interviewee to talk freely throughout an in-depth interview is
unlikely to lead to a clearly focused discussion on issues relevant to the research
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 Opening Question
• Opening Questions
• Allow participants to Define and Describe a situation or event.
• Open question is designed to encourage the interviewee to provide an extensive
and developmental answer, and may be used to reveal attitudes or obtain facts
• ‘What’, ‘How’ or ‘Why’
• ‘Why did the organisation introduce its Marketing Strategy?’
• ‘What methods have been used to make Employees redundant?’
• ‘How has corporate strategy changed over the past five years?’
• Probing Question
• Explore responses that are of significance to research topic
• ‘How would you evaluate the success of this new Marketing strategy?’
• ‘Why did you choose a compulsory method to Make Redundancies?’
16 • ‘What external factors caused the corporate strategy to change?’ 3/15/2018
 Dealing with Difficult Customer
Recognized Difficulty Suggestion /Action
Participant give monosyllabic answers (‘Yes’ Limited time, or worries about anonymity
or ‘No’)
Participant repeatedly provides long answers Subtly by referring back to an earlier relevant
which digress from focus of interview points
Participant starts interviewing interviewer Suggest that you have created rapport. May ask
you questions at the end.
Participant is proud of their status relative to Extremely difficult and at times one will
you and wants to show off their knowledge have to listen attentively and be respectful
Participant becomes noticeably upset during Patience an forebearance. If your participant
the interview and, perhaps, starts to cry starts crying or is obviouslyvery distressed, it is
probably a good idea to explain that the question
does not have to be answered

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 Audio Recording of Interview
Advantage Disadvantage
Allows interviewer to concentrate on May adversely affect the relationship between
questioning and listening interviewee and interviewer (possibility of
‘focusing’ on the audio-recorder)
Allows questions formulated at an interview to be May inhibit some interviewee responses and
accurately recorded for use in later interviews reduce reliability
where appropriate
Can re-listen to the interview Possibility of a technical problem
Accurate and unbiased record provided Time required to transcribe the audiorecording
Allows direct quotes to be used
Permanent record for others to use

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 Managing Logistic and Resource Issue
• Logistic Issues
• Interviewing is a Time-Consuming process.
• Managerial Time Devotion not always possible
• Interviewing has Particular Resource Issues
• Interviews are almost certainly likely to be More Expensive than using self-
administered or telephone questionnaires to collect data
• Longer / shorter interview depending on Managerial time
• Interview arranged at a time when interviewee will be under least pressure
• Practical consideration
• Two or three shorter interviews (time for reflection by interviewee : theme)
• Shorter Interviews in order to explore a topic thoroughly
• Fuller Account and more accurate set of data
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 Group Interviews on Focus Groups
• Group interviews on Focus Group
• Involve between four and eight participants or even Twelve
• Precise number depending upon the nature of the participants
• Topic matter and the skill of the interviewer important
• Participants chosen using non-probability sampling
• Chosen with a specific purpose in mind
• Practical consideration
• Group interview by individuals as an instruction rather than allowing a choice
• Level of non-attendance, Unreliable data
• Inhibitions related to lack of trust, perceptions about status
differences, dominance of certain individuals
• Series of horizontal slices through an organisation (Hierarchical constraint)
• Participants have a similar status and similar work experiences
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 Group Interviews on Focus Groups
• Practical Consideration
• For dominating individual reducing their contributions
• Participants understand each other’s contributions
• Role will be to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to
state their points of view and answer question; data are captured
• Location and setting of group interview
• Conduct interview in a neutral setting (rather than, in a manager’s office)
• Participants should feel relaxed
• Should be no likelihood of interruption or being overheard
• Arrange the seating in a circular fashion so that everyone facing inward
and so that they will be an equal distance from the central point of this circle.
• Two interviewers for audio-recording the group interview as it will allow one
interviewer to concentrate fully on managing the process whilst the other ensures
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 Group Interviews on Focus Groups
• Practical Advantage
• Allows a breadth of points of view to emerge
• For the group to respond to these views
• Generate or respond to a number of ideas
• Helping to explain or explore concepts
• Benefit from the opportunity that this method provides in terms of allowing
your participants to consider points raised by other group members and to
challenge one another’s views.
• Focus Group
• Political parties to test voter reactions (particular policies & election strategies)
• Use in market research to test reactions to products
• Focuses clearly upon a particular issue, product, service or topic and encompasses
the need for interactive discussion amongst participants
22 • In comparison with other forms of group interview, individual group members’
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 Group Interviews on Focus Groups
• Focus Group
• Participants selected because they have certain characteristics in common
that relate to the topic being discussed
• Encouraged to discuss and share their points of view without any
pressure to reach a consensus
• Keep the group within the boundaries of the topic being discussed;
• Generate interest in the topic and encourage discussion, whilst at the same time
not leading the group towards certain opinions
• The size of groups may also be related to topic
•

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 Telephone – Intranet-Internet Interview
• Electronic Interview
• Qualitative interviews may also be conducted by telephone or
electronically via the Internet or intranet
• Telephone Interview
• Advantages associated with access, speed and lower cost
• Face-to-face interview involve distance and prohibitive costs and time
• Qualitative interviews by telephone issues of (reduced) reliability (Trust)
• Using audio-recording is MUST
• Non-verbal behaviour cue of your participant is lost
• Less willing to provide you with as much time to talk to them in comparison
with a face-to-face interview.
• Access would otherwise be prohibited because of long distance, where
you have already been able to establish your credibility through prior contact,
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 Telephone – Intranet-Internet Interview

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 Telephone – Intranet-Internet Interview
• Internet / Intranet Interview
• Interview undertaken in real time (synchronous) or offline
(asynchronous)
• Population to be interviewed are geographically dispersed
• Software automatically records as they are typed in, thereby removing problems
associated with audio-recording and transcription such as cost, accuracy and
participants’ apprehension
• Web conferencing software can be used for both synchronous (real time) and
asynchronous one-to-one and group interviews
 Chat Room (MSN Messenger™.)
• Not a true chat room as conversations are restricted to those named in a
user’s list, such instant messaging can be used to undertake real-time one-to-one
and group interviews, providing netiquette is observed
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• relative anonymity of online interviews facilitates more open and honest
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responses
 Telephone – Intranet-Internet Interview
• E-mail Interview
• Series of emails each containing a small number of questions rather than one
email containing a series of questions
• After making contact and obtaining agreement to participate, you initially
email a small number of questions
• introduce a topic to which the participant will (hopefully) reply.
• Respond to these ideas, specifically asking further questions, raising points of
clarification and pursuing ideas that are of further interest
• Time delay between a question being asked and its being answered
• Advantageous as it allows both the interviewer and the interviewee to reflect on
the questions and responses prior to providing a considered response

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