4.4 Carrying out research interviews and focus groups

A research interview or focus group is a good way of obtaining in-depth information, as most questions will be open questions.

Figure 15 A focus group allows the researcher to obtain in-depth information from participants

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Figure 15 is a cartoon of four individuals sitting around a table discussing something; one person has a laptop open and is typing.

Figure 15 A focus group allows the researcher to obtain in-depth information from participants

There are three ways you can carry out research interviews or focus groups:

1. An unstructured interview is where there is a conversation rather than the interviewer asking questions prepared in advance.
2. A semi-structured interview is where the interviewer has a list of questions or key points to be covered and works through them in a methodical manner. This means that each interviewee is asked similar questions to ensure consistency and enable comparison. However, the interviewer can ask supplementary questions to clarify or find out more about a particular issue.
3. A structured interview is where the interviewer asks specific questions with a fixed range of answers (similar to a survey).

You should now read The Open University’s guide to conducting an interview [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , up to and including the section headed ‘Transcription’. Remember that if you carry out a semi-structured or structured interview, you will need to prepare an interview plan in advance with the proposed questions. All interviews should start by giving the participant information about the interview and your research, and obtaining their informed consent to taking part in the session.