Usefulness of unstructured interviews

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Usefulness of unstructured interviews
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• 1. Practical Issues
• Structured interviews
• Language issues young people are not as
  wordy/literate as adults
• Students reluctant to talk
• Not understand abstract concepts/terms
• Boredom short attention span
• Interpret NVC/body language differently to adults
• Can effect results and interfere with validity of
  evidence..so unstructured interviews may be more
  useful.
• Waffling children can drift off the point
  (Powney/Watts) - too literal.
• Training needs to be extensive to avoid this
  increased costs
• Schools are riddled with gossip/rumour when
  other children learn about interviews will
  affect others!

• 2. Reliability
• Young people (in structured interviews) may not
  produce valid data in formal context.
• Di Bentley used funny image at the start of
  each interview to relax the atmosphere.. Was very
  mindful of her body language/tone
• With unstructured interviews not standardised
  cant compare

• 3. Access Response Rate
• Problems accessing teachers/pupils in school
  hierarchy
• Schools not permit interviews in lesson time as
  disrupt learning students not want to give up
  own time also
• Parental permission needed and this varies by
  topic (Field had 29 refusal rate on sexual
  health research)

• 4. Power and Status
• In school students have little power than
  teachers. If they see interviewer as the man
  then they may lie/exaggerate etc invalid
• Bell teacher in disguise
• Students may want to appear more conformist to
  avoid trouble

Interviews Education Context
Paul Willis Learning to Labour

• 6. Group interviews
• Pupils may be influenced by peers less valid
  data
• Students can egg each other on
• But these can reduce power imbalance
• They also reveal interactions (and give meaning)
  to group behaviour

• 5. Improving validity (strategies)
• Greene and Hogan used open ended questions/not
  interrupt answers/tolerate long pauses/avoid
  leading questions/avoid repeating questions
• Unstructured interviews lessen barriers/gain
  rapport/open

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Assess the usefulness of using unstructured
interviews for researching young peoples
experiences of school