Interview Technique/Method
Definition
An Interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked and
answers given. Questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information and questions are
answered by the interviewee to provide or give information.
A research interview is a structured social interaction between a researcher and a subject who is
identified as a potential source ofinformation, in which the interviewer initiates and controls the
exchange to obtain quantifiable and comparable information relevant to an emerging or
previously stated hypothesis.
Goals
The goal of interview is to obtain information from the respondent. The interviewer treats the
subjects as a person, giving him a sympathetic hearing. Interview technique is used for research,
therapy or combination of these purposes. It allow the researcher to go beyond the information
collected from a survey, probing for a reason that lie behind the subject during the process of
responding
Interviews may be conducted face-to- face or via the telephone (Interview Techniques).
Types of Interviews
There are many types of interview methods to use, but the most commonly used are structured,
semi structured and unstructured interviews
1. Structured Interviews
Structured interviews have predetermined questions in a set order. Interview schedules have a
standardized format which means that the same questions are asked to each interviewee in the
same order. A structured interview is also known as formal interview (like job interview).
They are often closed-ended, featuring dichotomous (yes/no) or multiple-choice questions.
For example, “Are you currently taking any drugs?”
Here the respondent can answer either yes or no.
Or open-ended questions as those that can be answered in many ways and allows the
respondents to give elaborate, thoughtful answers.
For example, “Tell about yourself?”
Here the respondent can answer thoughtfully.
