An interview is a structured conversation between two or more people, where one person acts as the interviewer and the other as the interviewee. It is a widely-used method for gathering information from individuals, either for research or for various purposes such as hiring an employee, selecting a candidate for a scholarship or admission, investigating the background of an individual, and many more.
Interviews can be conducted in different ways, depending on the purpose, goals, and setting of the interview. In general, there are four main types of interviews: structured interviews, unstructured interviews, semi-structured interviews, and group interviews.
1. Structured interviews
Structured interviews are a type of interview where the interviewer asks predetermined questions to the interviewee. The questions are usually designed to elicit specific information from the interviewee and may be phrased differently for different interviewees. The interviewer may also have pre-determined response options that they will ask the interviewee to choose from.
Structured interviews are used when the interviewer needs to collect specific information, such as when conducting a survey or when gathering data for research purposes. The advantage of structured interviews is that they are easy to replicate and are unbiased, as all interviewees receive the same set of questions.
2. Unstructured interviews
Unstructured interviews are the opposite of structured interviews, where the interviewer asks open-ended questions, and the interviewee has complete freedom to answer as they like, without any structure or guidance. These interviews are used when the interviewer needs to collect qualitative data, such as when conducting research on personal experiences or opinions.
Unstructured interviews are advantageous because they allow the interviewer to explore a wide range of topics and obtain detailed information from the interviewee. However, unstructured interviews can be time-consuming, as the interviewer may have to listen to many different stories from different interviewees.
3. Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviews are a combination of structured and unstructured interviews. These interviews begin with a predetermined set of questions, but the interviewer may deviate from the questions if necessary, depending on the answers provided by the interviewee. These interviews are used when the interviewer needs to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data.
Semi-structured interviews offer some degree of flexibility, which allows the interviewer to explore the topics further with follow-up questions. They are also useful when conducting research on sensitive topics, where a structured interview may not be appropriate.
4. Group interviews
Group interviews, also known as focus group discussions, are a type of interview where several interviewees are interviewed collectively, usually in a group setting. These interviews are used when the interviewer needs to collect data on group dynamics, to obtain a range of opinions on a particular topic, or to identify group norms.
Group interviews are valuable because they allow the interviewer to gather a range of opinions from different individuals simultaneously. They are useful in exploratory research as they enable the researcher to collect a large amount of data in a short amount of time.
In summary, interviews are a valuable tool for gathering information from individuals. The type of interview used depends on the purpose, goals, and setting of the interview. Structured interviews are used when the interviewer needs to collect specific information, unstructured interviews are used to collect qualitative data, semi-structured interviews are used to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data while group interviews are used to collect data on group dynamics, opinions and norms.
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