Structured interview as a data collection method

What is a structured interview?

A structured interview is a method of quantitative data collection in which you follow a structured approach. The purpose of structured interviews is to obtain standardized, quantifiable data that can be easily analyzed and compared across different respondents. This is in contrast to surveys, where the goal is often to collect opinions or experiences from a large group of people.

Below are the key features of the structured interview:

Standardized interviews are commonly utilized when conducting interviews with a specific group of individuals, such as experts in a particular research field.
Before the interview takes place, a predetermined set of questions is prepared and posed to each participant.
The questions in a structured interview typically consist of closed-end inquiries, meaning that respondents are expected to provide answers from a limited range of predefined options, such as yes/no or multiple choice.
As an interviewer, it is essential to strictly adhere to the questionnaire without deviating or posing additional questions for further clarification.
The questions are presented in the same sequence to each participant, ensuring consistency and facilitating easy comparison of the results afterwards.

When do you use a structured interview?

A structured interview is typically used in research situations in which you, as a researcher:

Standardized interviews are suitable for collecting quantitative data, such as statistics, frequencies, and numerical measurements. This allows for drawing objective and measurable conclusions based on numerical analysis.
If you need standardized and comparable data from different respondents, a structured interview provides a consistent approach to collecting this data.
Standardized interviews can be used to examine the frequency and occurrence of specific responses within a given population. This can help identify trends, patterns, or correlations between variables.
Because structured interviews often consist of closed-ended questions, the results can easily be coded and quantified for further analysis. This makes it possible to process the data in a systematic manner and apply statistical techniques.
In situations where you want to prevent the interviewer from deviating from the predetermined questionnaire, a structured interview can provide the desired consistency.

If your research is still in the exploratory phase, it might be better to opt for a semi-structured or unstructured approach, allowing more flexibility and thorough exploration of the subject.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of structured interviews?

With structured interviews, you can obtain quick results. Naturally, this method has both advantages and disadvantages, which we would like to outline for you below.

Advantages

The standardized response options ensure consistency and comparability across different interviews, facilitating the analysis and interpretation of data.

Furthermore, due to the standardized nature of the interview, multiple individuals can conduct it without straying from the questionnaire, allowing for a higher number of interviews to be conducted in a shorter timeframe.

Additionally, since the interview is short and does not necessitate lengthy explanations, results can be obtained quickly. The standardized answer options furnish ample information to draw conclusions.

Disadvantages

Because there is no space for additional inquiry or exploration of intriguing answers, crucial information may be lost. This can be particularly troublesome if the response does not align with the predetermined options.

The answers are confined to predetermined choices, leading to the potential loss of subtleties and nuances in the responses. Consequently, this may result in a shallower level of information obtained.

Since the interview is highly structured and excludes informal conversation, it can create a formal atmosphere. This can make it more challenging to make the interviewee feel comfortable and impact the quality of the information collected.

How do I draw up a well-structured questionnaire?

If you choose a structured interview as a data collection method, you should begin with a carefully organized questionnaire, paying special attention to the order of your questions during the interview. In structured interviews, only closed-ended or multiple-choice questions are permitted. This implies that you cannot ask for spontaneous answers. Consequently, each question should logically build upon or delve further into the previous question.

To initiate the questionnaire, it is advisable to include some introductory questions to make the interviewee feel at ease and establish a foundation for the conversation. From there, you can proceed to explore specific topics in depth, enabling you to gather more comprehensive insights and information.

Tips to ensure reliability and validity

Since a structured interview is a quantitative method of data collection, it is important to ensure reliability and validity. Here are some tips to consider:

To ensure reliable answers, ensure that all questions are consistent and clearly worded.
Use standard procedures for conducting the interview, especially when working with multiple interviewers, to maintain consistency.
Conduct a pilot test to identify potential bias and assess the validity of the questions.
Be mindful of possible bias and strive to minimize it by creating a neutral interview environment.
Document all steps of the interview process accurately to enhance reliability and promote reproducibility.

How do you process the results of your structured interviews?

Analyzing the results of a structured interview can be done in different ways and depends on how you structured the interview. If the interview has been recorded, it is advisable to transcribe the recordings into text carefully. Next, it is important to examine the respondents’ answers for themes, patterns, or categories. To achieve this, coding techniques can be used to structure and organize the data.

If the structured interview contains closed questions with quantitative answers, it is better to conduct statistical analyses, such as examining frequencies, percentages, and averages. When the structured interview contains open-ended questions, the content of the answers can be analyzed to identify patterns, trends, and meanings. Methods such as thematic analysis, content analysis, or narrative analysis can be applied for this type of analysis.

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