- interview is conducted one-on-one, and lasts between 30 and 60 minutes
- best method for in-depth probing of personal opinions, beliefs, and values
- very rich depth of information
- very flexible
- probing is very useful at uncovering hidden issues
- they are unstructured (or loosely structured)- this differentiates them from survey interviews in which the same questions are asked to all respondents
- can be time consuming and responses can be difficult to interpret
- requires skilled interviewers - expensive - interviewer bias can easily be introduced
- there is no social pressure on respondents to conform and no group dynamics
- start with general questions and rapport establishing questions, then proceed to more purposive questions
- laddering is a technique used by depth interviewers in which you start with questions about external objects and external social phenomena, then proceed to internal attitudes and feelings
- hidden issue questioning is a technique used by depth interviewers in which they concentrate on deeply felt personal concerns and pet peeves
- symbolic analysis is a technique used by depth interviewers in which deeper symbolic meanings are probed by asking questions about their opposites
we will talk on Focus Group in next post.