Research helps to find out the things. It can be conducted in both formal and informal manner. There are two known approaches used in research process. They are qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Both techniques are different and used for different purposes. Qualitative research helps to understand the behavior and perception of target audience (Bogdan & Biklen, 1997). This research method uses the concepts of sociology, psychology and anthropology. Qualitative data collection methods are usually time-consuming so therefore the data is collected from small sample. Some well-known Qualitative research techniques are in depth interview, questionnaire, observation, focus group, group discussions, etc. In above mentioned all the techniques in depth interview is widely used technique in qualitative research.
It is loosely structured interview method. It provides free environment to both the interviewee and the interviewer. It is generally carried out face to face so that interviewer can also notice the body language of respondents. Sometimes telephonic interviews are also conducted in depth interview but for this interview skilled researcher is required. The type of interview depends upon the skills of interviewer and the respondents. For in depth interview both speaking and listening skills are required. Before taking the interview the interviewer arranges the place where interview will be conducted. All the equipment’s required for the interview are arranged previously so that at the time of interview no problem will occur. The interviewer prepares a list of questions before the interview, which he will ask in interview (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). The interview can be conducted in formal or informal manner. Informal interviews help to explore more things because it does not follow a proper structure.
In depth interview includes only small number of respondents to explore their ideas in the particular topic, situation and program. For example, the interviewer might ask the respondents, who attended the particular program about their experiences in the program. Interviews help to know the perception of others because each individual thinks about a particular situation in different manner. The business researchers take the interview of their customers to know their opinion about a particular product. In interview, the respondent being interviewed is considered as the subject expert and the person who takes the interview is considered as the student who asks many questions to the respondents. The researcher asks the questions in neutral manner and listens attentively. The interviewer asks the pre prepared set of questions and also asks other questions on the spot to clear the things (DiCicco?Bloom & Crabtree, 2006).
The interview gives good learning experience to both the interviewer and the interviewee. It is the easiest form of qualitative data collected method. People feel free to express their personal feelings and experiences. It also provides the opportunity to know how people interpret the world. In depth interviews are well appropriate to address sensitive topics. The interview data can be recorded through tape recording and notes which are created during interview by interviewers. Notes may be prepared by observation of respondents (Englander, 2012). After conducting the interview the interviewers complete all the documents because during interview only transcripts are created which are in coded form because of the lack of time.
There are various advantages of interview which have been highlighted by number of theorists. The basic advantage of in depth interview is as it provides much more detail information than other qualitative data collection methods like focus group, questionnaire, etc. The interview is conducted in a relaxed environment where the respondents feel free to answer the questions. Interviewees feel more comfortable to express their feelings. The interviewer can either arrange the place for interview or can go to the fields where he can get the respondents easily (Milena et al., 2008). Some major benefits of in depth interviews are explained in following paragraph.
It helps to establish a good relationship with the participants so that they can feel comfortable and give answers without fear. Interviewer can ask follow up questions and can ask questions to get additional information or to enhance clarity. Interviewers can clear the misunderstanding on the spot so the respondents can get the clear idea about questions. Interviewer can change the tone and word choice according to the respondents (Griffee, 2005). It includes high quality of sampling than other data collection methods. Interviewer takes interview of few respondents so it is conducted in more appropriate manner and can be managed properly. There is less chances of distraction in this method. It helps to find out things quickly than other qualitative data collection methods (Gill et al., 2008).
Some of the theorists depicted that there are also some weak points in depth interview. The interviews are usually time-consuming because it includes various phases like transcription, organization, analysis and reporting (Gorden, 1956). The interview process is relatively costly than other qualitative data collection methods. The proper training is also required for the interviewer which includes cost. The interviewers need to learn various interview techniques to make the person feel more comfortable and interested about the topic. Effective interview technique includes proper use of body language, speaking and presentation skills. It is a difficult task to train the interviewers. This method includes only small sample of people and uses random sampling method which do not give generalized view. In this method participants must carefully chosen to increase the effectiveness.
There are few ethical implications associated with in depth interview. Privacy and confidentiality of data is an issue in interview. It is important that all the information should be kept secured and the information received by the participants should be kept confidential. It is important to follow the security commitments. The purpose of the interview should be explained to the participants as it is important to be honest and straightforward about the objectives, risks and benefits to the respondents. The interviewer should not generate false expectations in order to get support of participants. There are some responsibilities of interviewer to choose the respondents, set up recording equipment’s and arrange a physical space. The Interviewer should arrive on time with all the necessary documents. He should prepare himself both mentally and psychologically to conduct the interview (Patton, 2005). The notes are prepared by interviewer during and after interview. The documents are well checked and all the corrections are done by interviewer before making final report. Different procedures are used for in depth interview. The written document of interview procedure should be given to the interviewer before the interview so that he can understand the procedure and clear all the doubts related to it. The respondents should feel comfortable in the chosen location whether a private place or public location. Physical safety of both the interviewer and interviewee is important because sometimes sensitive issues are discussed in interview, which can make the person aggressive. The interviewer and the respondent cannot use abusive language in interview. The Interviewer cannot ask questions beyond the boundaries as there should be no over involvement. There should be proper gap maintained during interview between the interviewer and interviewee. The interviewer should adhere the policies and guidelines of interview (Clarke, 2006). If the respondents feel uncomfortable in interview they can address this issue to the interviewer to resolve this matter quickly.
In depth interview is helpful in conducting Business to business research where both the persons have the subject matter knowledge. The person who is being interviewed gives the insights on the subject. It is a flexible approach where the interview can be conducted anywhere or can be conducted over the phone. The interviewer can either end the interview when he feels satisfied with the answers or can extend the length of interview according to the need (Taylor et al., 2015). In interview the researcher mainly asks for open ended questions which include the answers in yes-no form or one word answer. The interview is generally divided into 3 main parts – introduction part where the interviewer and interviewee introduce themselves and greet each other, discussion part where the interviewer asks questions and record the details and the last part is conclusion part where the interviewer sum up the interview by saying thank you or conclusionary statement (Guion et al., 2001). Sometimes due to some situations the interviews can not be completed on time in this case the interviewer can schedule second interview with the same respondents to get the details.
Conclusion
In depth interview is one of the simplest and most effective among all the qualitative data collection methods. The purpose and rules should be explained previously to the respondents to make the interview successful. In the above mentioned essay the benefits, limitations and ethical implications are explained. Some Concepts are also taken from literature to support the arguments. The interviewers also record the good and bad experiences of the interview for future reference. At last after the interview the interviewer makes sure that the purpose of interview is met. The interviewer prepares a report according the responses received by respondents. It is an effective method to identify the problem areas and search for the solution.
References
Bogdan, R. & Biklen, S.K., 1997, Qualitative research for education. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Clarke, A., 2006, ‘Qualitative interviewing: Encountering ethical issues and challenges’, NurseResearcher, 13(4), pp.19-29.
Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S., 1994, Handbook of qualitative research, Sage publications, inc.
DiCicco?Bloom, B. & Crabtree, B.F., 2006, ‘The qualitative research interview’, Medical Education, 40(4), pp.314-321.
Englander, M., 2012, ‘The interview: Data collection in descriptive phenomenological human scientific research.’, Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 43(1), pp.13-35.
Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E. & Chadwick, B., 2008,’Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups’, British Dental Journal, 204(6), pp.291-295.
Gorden, R.L., 1956, Dimensions of the depth interview’, American Journal of Sociology, 62(2), pp.158-164.
Griffee, D.T., 2005,’ Research tips: Interview data collection’, Journal of Developmental Education, 28(3), p.36.
Guion, L.A., Diehl, D.C. &McDonald, D., 2001, Conducting an in-depth interview, University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, EDIS.
Milena, Z.R., Dainora, G. & Alin, S., 2008, ‘Qualitative research methods: a comparison between focus-group and in-depth interview’, Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 17(4), pp.1279-1283.
Patton, M.Q., 2005,Qualitative research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. & DeVault, M., 2015, Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource, John Wiley & Sons.
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