Semi-structured interview

A semi-structured interview is a method of research used most often in the social sciences. While a structured interview has a rigorous set of questions which does not allow one to divert, a semi-structured interview is open, allowing new ideas to be brought up during the interview as a result of what the interviewee says. The interviewer in a semi-structured interview generally has a framework of themes to be explored.

Semi-structured interviews are widely used in qualitative research; for example in household research, such as couple interviews. A semi-structured interview involving, for example, two spouses can result in "the production of rich data, including observational data."

Comparison to other types of interviews

An unstructured interview is the opposite of structured interview, because it tends to be more informal and free flowing and it is more like an everyday conversation. A structured interview is a type of interview that is completely planned, which means every interviewee gets the same interview questions. A semi-structured interview is the one in between. The questions are loosely structured and give interviewees more opportunities to fully express themselves. However, semi-structured interviews are less objective and legally harder to defend when compared with structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews are somewhat restrict the interviewee's free flow of thoughts which limited the potential possibility of the interview as a whole.

Because semi-structured interview is a combination of both structured interviewing and unstructured interviewing, it has both their advantages. For interviewees, the constructed part of semi-structured interview gives them a general overview of the interviewees. It helps them draw a objective comparison from the interviewers, which is helpful for either qualitative research study or job interview. For interviewers, because the unstructured part of semi-structured interview gives them more space to ask for clarification on answers and to express free flow of thoughts, the interviewers normally feel less stress during the interview. They would present more communication skills to the interviewees and build personal bond with them under the relatively warm and friendly atmosphere.

Pros and cons

Advantages

Since a semi-structured interview is a combination of an unstructured interview and a structured interview, it has the advantages of both two. The interviewers can express their opinions and ask questions to the interviewees during the interview, which encourages them to give more useful information, such as their opinions toward sensitive issues, to the qualitative research. And they could more easily give the reasons for their answers during the interviews. Plus, the structured part of semi-structured interviews gives the interviewees reliable, comparable qualitative data as well.

Disadvantages

Even though a semi-structured interview has several advantages, it needs time for the interviewers to prepare and do research before actually starting the interview. And in order to make the results reliable, interviewees need to meet adequate amount of people to conduct the interview. Since it involves with the unstructured interview which allows people to freely express their thoughts, the interviewees need to carefully plan the questions to make sure they would get the answers they want, which also requires good communication and interviewing skills. Besides, the interviewees are responsible for the confidentiality of the interviewers.

External links

• Semi-structured interview at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations's website