University 8 may 1945

Department of English literature and civilization.

Level: 3rd year

Group: 2

Teacher: BEZAZ Souad

Lesson 02: Data Collection Tools: Interview

I History and Definition: Interviewing is a form of questioning characterized by the fact that
it employs verbal questioning as its principle technique of data collection. Interview has been
defined differently according to different researchers. The term interview comes from the
French word “entre voir” which means “to glimpse or to see each other.” (Debasish & Das,
2009, p.146).

In 1970, Mouly has defined the interview as “a conversation” that occurs between the
interviewer and the interviewee. (As cited in baraceros, 2000, p.81). Later, in 1975, Wiersman
has defined the interview as “a data-collection procedure” that involves “a face to face
confrontation between the interviewer and a subject or a group of subjects” (as cited in
baracero, 2000, p.146). Additionally, the interview is “a meeting for obtaining information by
questioning a person or persons”. It is “a conversation between two or more people (the
interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain
information from the interviewee”. (Debasish & Das, 2009, p.146). Lindzey Gardner has
defined it as “a two-person conversation, initiated by the interviewer for the specific purpose
of obtaining research-relevant information and focused by him on the content specified by the
research objectives of description and explanation”. Therefore, it is a process that allows the
researcher to interact verbally with the informants. Scott, Clotheer and Spriegel claimed, "An
interview is a purposeful exchange of ideas, the answering of questions and communication
between two or more persons.

II.Cases of using the interview: Interviews are mainly useful when

 There is a need to gather or attain highly personalized data.

 There are limited respondents and a good return rate is important.
 Exploring sensitive topics where participants may not want to talk in-group
environment, according to Tuckman, the interview enables the researcher to know
what is “inside a person’s head”. (as cited in cohen, L manion, L and Morrison, K.
2000:268)
III Types of the interview

a)Classification according to the number of interviewees:

1.The individual interview/personal :

it is a face to face communication, verbal interaction between the interviewer and the
interviewee

2.The group interview (no more than eight people)

It provides the researcher with a wide range of answers due to the discussion. For instance,
the teacher interviews college students from different levels of LMD: first, second and third
years and students from the old/ classical system to compare the two systems. Group
interview could help the researcher to gain time.

3.Focus groups:

It is not an interview between the researcher and the group but between the members of
groups. The researcher introduces a topic to each group so that the participants interact with
each other and discuss it. s/he collects data that emerges from this interaction in unnatural
settings. Concerning the size of each group Morgan (cited in Cohen, L Manion, L and
Morrison, K. 2000, p288) suggests between four and twelve persons per group.

b)Classification according to the nature of the interview: According to Patton there are
four types of interviews

1.Informal conversation interview: Unstructured: no questions, no topic for each question.

The unstructured interview has no predetermined wording of questions or sequence of

asking. It is, therefore, open flexible and there is no need to follow a detailed interview guide.
The interviewees are encouraged to speak openly frankly and give as much detail as possible.
Unstructured interviews are performed with little or no organization, they may simply start
with an opening question such as can you tell me about your experience of…..? and will then
progress based upon the initial response.

2.Interview guide approach: Semi-structured: no questions, but there is the topic of each
question.

In the semi-structured interviews, the researcher has a list of key themes, issues and
questions to be covered. Here the order of the questions can be changed depending on the
direction of the interview. Additional questions can be asked and some may be questions that
have not been anticipated in the beginning of the interview.

3.Standardized open-ended interview (open questions: no choices) and Closed

quantitative interview: structured (closed questions: with choices): Structured Are
defined as verbally administered questionnaire where a list of predetermined questions are
asked with no scope for follow-up questions to responses an interview is described a
structured when there is an organized procedure and the content is prepared in advance the
wording of the questions and the sequence of asking are determined and structured by means
of an interview schedule. The structured interview has the characteristic of limiting the
freedom of the interviewer to make some modification during the interview sessions. Corbetta
(2003) states structured interviews are "interviews in which all respondents are asked the
same questions with the same wording and in the same sequence."

IV.Stages of interviewing

1.Developing the interview: (before interviewing)

*Define topic and the aim of the interview.

*Choose the respondents who you are going to work with.

*Determine the type of the interview and its nature.

*Choose the appropriate setting (when and where the interview will take place)

o Design the interview, decide which questions to use:

o Open and/ or closed questions
o Direct and/ or indirect questions: direct: do you like teaching?; indirect: what is you
view bout education?. According to Tuckman the indirect questions are more likely to
get frank responses.
o Specific and/or non- specific questions:
o specific: what do you think about the teaching method of your teacher of the writing
module? Here, the respondents is cautious and less honest.
o Non-specific: what is your view about teaching methods used in your college?

*Pilot the interview

2.Conducting the interview (during the interview)

 Ask your respondents if they have any questions before you start the interview.
 Ask for the permission to record the interview.
 Explain the purpose and nature of the interview
 Address terms of confidentiality
 Indicate how long the interview will take
 Ask one question at time.
 Attempt to remain as neutral as possible
 Make the respondents involved in the interview as much as possible
 Encourage respondents to give responses
 Do not lose control and clarify confusion and misunderstandings.

3- After the interview:

 Allow participants to provide further information or any suggestions.

 The interviewer has to verify his notes
  Transcribe the notes into word-processed documents
 Write any observation that has been noticed, any thoughts, ideas made during the
interview

4.Analyzing interview data:

a)Thematic analysis: it aims to find common patterns across a data set. It usually follows
these steps

 Getting familiar with the data (reading and re-reading)

 Coding (coding the whole text)
 Searching for themes with broader patterns of meaning (groups similar codes into
themes)
 Reviewing themes to make sure they fit the data.
 Defining and naming themes

b)Narrative analysis: as the name indicates, it is about making sense of stories. It can follow
these steps:

 Gather the stories.

 Analyze stories and look for insights and meaning
 Compare and contrast different stories, look for interpretation.
 Create a new story that connects the previous ones in a novel and insightful way

c)Deductive analysis:

The researcher tests his or her pre-existing theories, themes and concepts are decided before
the analysis starts and are imposed on the material.

5.Writing the report:

The nature of the report is based on the nature of the interview: a structured interview may
yield numerical data that may be reported in tables and graphs whereas unstructured interview
will yield word-based report. According to Kvale( as cited in Cohen, L, Manion, L and
Morrison, K. 2000: 286) the report includes:

 An introduction about the theme.

 Design of the interview
 Data analysis and interpretation.
 A discussion

V Advantages of the interview:

Interviewees are more likely to take questions seriously. Most people would rather talk than
write.

 Allows greater flexibility in wording, sequence and direction.

  The interviewer is able to clarify or paraphrase questions if the interviewees are
confused.
 It is easier to explore highly complex or abstract topics.
 Allows the interviewers to observe, monitor and evaluate the interviewees’
Interpersonal skills, non-verbal and paralinguistic behavior, emotional tone, behavior
under stress, internal consistency of interviewees’ answers.
 Capacity for correcting occurring mistakes or misunderstandings.
 Helps in collecting fresh, new, and primary information.
 Sufficient information can be collected because the interviewer has the opportunity for
asking questions.
 The opportunity for immediate and quick feedback between both the interviewer and
the respondents.

VI Disadvantages of interview

*Training and practice requirements: the interviewer must simultaneously: listen (process
verbal and nonverbal information), guide direction and take notes or remember.

*Time and cost: it relatively expensive and time consuming.

*Useful with small size samples only

*Potential bias:

 The interviewer may unintentionally influence interviewees’ answers.

 The interviewer may consciously or unconsciously misinterpret or distort
 Respondents may become reluctant when sensitive issues are discussed.
 The respondents may give untruthful responses.