Week 8: Instruments of Data Collection: Interview Schedule. Questionnaire, Interview Guide,

Interview Schedule :

The interview is a face to face or one to one situation in which the interviewer gathers information about the behavior, problems, and future plans of the pupil. It is also designed to assist the pupil to understand himself and his environment, so as to be able to solve his problems or modify his plans. There are various types of interviews depending upon their purpose and design. 

When an interview is used as a tool for gathering data for research purpose it is called a “research interview” When an interview is used for the clinical purpose or to secure information about a pupil’s problems, his past history, adjustment patterns, etc. it is called clinical interview. Similarly, interviews can cover only one pupil at a time or a group of pupils. Accordingly, interviews can be an “individual interview or group interview”. Interviews are also classified as “structured interview” and “unstructured interview.” But our concern is to have a clear-cut look at the interview schedule.

A questionnaire is a research instrument that consists of a set of questions or other types of prompts that aims to collect information from a respondent. A research questionnaire is typically a mix of close-ended questions and open-ended questions. Open-ended, long-form questions offer the respondent the ability to elaborate on their thoughts. Research questionnaires were developed in 1838 by the Statistical Society of London. The data collected from a data collection questionnaire can be both qualitative as well as quantitative in nature. A questionnaire may or may not be delivered in the form of a survey, but a survey always consists of a questionnaire.

Before conducting interviews, you need an interview guide that you can use to help you direct the conversation toward the topics and issues you want to learn about.  Interview guides vary from highly scripted to relatively loose, but they all share certain features: They help you know what to ask about, in what sequence, how to pose your questions, and how to pose follow-ups. They provide guidance about what to do or say next after your interviewee has answered the last question.

A good interview guide also acknowledges four important facts of human social interactions that influence what people are likely to say to you. These four facts are: (1) Research questions are not the same as interview questions; (2) People's espoused theories differ from their theories-in-use; (3) Interviews are social occasions; and (4) Testimony by itself is a relatively weak form of evidence. This guide to interview guides offers some techniques for accommodating these four important facts.