Nowadays, people all around the world write a lot of research. There are a lot of reasons for doing it. Individuals write research because they get desirable benefits from it by solving different problems, they have a desire to widen their knowledge and challenge themselves and also they get a priceless kind feeling to help the society and leave its traits in this world ( Kothari, 2004).
The purpose of a research is to brighten the truth that has not been discovered yet. It aims to explain a situation or describe a concept. It also its aim is to help us have a better insight of a phenomenon. (Kothari, 2004).
There are different types of research, but there are only two approaches of it. The quantitative approach and the qualitative approach. The quantitative approach provides the data in a statistical or numerical form whereas the qualitative approach is the opposite of the quantitative approach. It provides information about behaviors, attitudes and opinions. Since it is not a quantitative one it does not give the information in a numerical form, but rather is the results are given by using different techniques such as interviews, projective techniques and depth interviews (Kothari, 2004).
In this research I will be focusing more in interviews since the intention of this is the depiction and the role of interviews in favor of collecting the data that contributes in portraying a genuine research.
In the broadest sense interview is a conversation between people that enters into people’s life for getting information that would contribute in the collection of data for the research . Moreover it enlightens the interviewee’s personal experiences and opinions about a subject (Guion, et al., 2011).
Another definition of the interview might be that it is a method in which information about a specific topic are obtained through some questions in order to shed light on the research problem ( Brinkmann, 2014).
The interview is a very important qualitative data collection technique that generates the data in a genuine way, making the research as accurate as possible.
Types of Interviews
According to Berg (2001) there are different types of interviews, but the major structures of the interview are: Standardized interviews, semi standardized interviews and unstandardized interview.
The Standardized Interview
The Standardized interview is a type of interview in which questions that are supposed to be asked by the interviewer and answered by the interviewee are written in a numerical order. What is typical of this kind of interview is that all questions are the same for all the participants so that the data can be comparable in the end. The questions follow a logical order. Typical example of this interview is an interview about a proper diet (Berg, 2001).
The Unstandardized Interview
The unstandardized interviews are completely the opposite of the standardized interviews. In this kind of interviews neither the interviewer nor the interviewee are aware of what is being requested from this interview and the questions follow according to the situation. They are not the same for all participant and thus do not follow a logical order. As such the data collected from them cannot be compared (Berg, 2001).
The Semi Standardized Interview
The semi standardized interview can be defined as an interview in which the elements of standardized interviews and unstandardized interviews are fused to one another. In the semi standardized interviews questions follow a logical order to some point, but in between these questions the interviewer can add additional questions according to the situation (Berg, 2001).
Phases of Interview
When one decides to use the method of the interview here are some tips that they should bear in mind while conducting it. Firstly, she/he should explore and study a lot about a specific topic that she/he is going to compile questions. Individuals should also consult with people that are good at that specific field and then start writing the questions. Then the interviewer should also think of how is considered the best participant to answer that questions (Sokoli, 2011).
Secondly, the interviewer should find a way to record the data. She/he can do that by video recording, audio recording or by taking notes which after the interviewer will organize them. (Sokoli, 2011).
And finally, the interviewer has to realize the interview. In this phase the interviewer will receive the answers that will be used later when interpreting the data of the research (Sokolo, 2011).
Bibliography
- Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques (2nd ed.). New Delhi: New Age International.
- Guion, L., A. & Diehl, D., C. & McDonald, D. ( August 2011). Conducting an In-depth Interview1. Retrieved from http://greenmedicine.ie/school/images/Library/Conducting%20An%20In%20Depth%20Interview.pdf
- Brinkmann, S. (2014). Encyclopedia of critical psychology. NY: Springer.
- Berg, B., L. (2001). QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. Boston, Massachusetts : Allyn & Bacon.
- Sokoli, L. (2011). METODAT E KËRKIMIT. Tiranë: Instituti i Sociologjisë.
