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ERIC/AE Staff
Adapted from General Accounting Office (1991). "Using Structured Interviewing Techniques." Washington, DC: Program Evaluation and Methodology Division Report 10.1.5.
One key element in conducting useful research is gathering reliable information. And the basis for doing that is designing questions and questionnaires that get the kind of information from which the researcher can draw valid conclusions.
When one looks at a completed questionnaire or the results of a valid study, he or she is often tempted to say, "That's not difficult to do," but that temptation quickly passes after a few minutes of closer analysis. That's about all it takes to realize that designing a good question and good questionnaire requires more thought and time than one might originally think. There are an almost infinite variety of things to think about and to do correctly to avoid the kinds of errors that can make scores of hours of work worthless.
This article looks at some of the basic building blocks of a structured interview, points out potential pitfalls, and suggests ways for the researcher to avoid them, in order to produce a set of questions that have the best possibility of generating reliable, accurate data on the topics of interest.
SOME BASIC TERMS
The first thing that a new researcher needs to know is some standard terminology. This knowledge helps that person understand other concepts to be introduced and puts him or her in a position to communicate with more experienced people in the discipline.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO VARIOUS DATA-GATHERING METHODS
This section discusses the relative benefits and disadvantages of the two primary types of structured interviews and compares them to the mail questionnaire.
Face-to-Face Interview
Telephone Interview Mail Questionnaire (not a structured interview method) DESIGNING A STRUCTURED INTERVIEW The first step in designing the interview is to formulate the broad overall questions that the survey is intended to answer, i.e., To compare results to some standard (a normative study); e.g., Has the use of computers as a teaching aid matched the goals of the teachers using these tools?
To determine if a procedural change has made a difference (a cause-and-effect study); e.g., Has the use of computer-assisted instruction changed student attitudes about learning math?
The second task is to translate the broad overall questions into measurable elements as hypotheses or more precise questions. The descriptive question above, for example, would require developing measures such as parents' relative knowledge about computer use in math instruction, the importance parents place on math learning, whether parents believe their children learned more with or without the use of computer technology, to name a few.
Then, the target population needs to be identified. If computer-assisted math instruction is new only to a certain grade or school, care needs to be taken to interview only the parents whose children have been affected by the program change. It may sound basic, but innumerable studies have proceeded to unsatisfactory completion because of insufficient consideration of this aspect.
Now, the study can proceed to the development of a pool of specific questions designed to elicit the desired information. The number of questions developed should be more than the number to be asked; then, the most appropriate and useful can be selected from those available.
COMPOSING APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS
Three main criteria exist for writing appropriate questions: relevance, selection of the proper respondents, ease of answering.
Among the types of questions that should be avoided are those that require respondents to consult records or other information sources, would make them uncomfortable for any reason, would reflect negatively on them, would make the interview confrontational, or have no specific answer.
SELECTING A QUESTION FORMAT
Important considerations in deciding on the format of questions include how the question is to be delivered (mail, telephone, face to face), the type of information the respondent is expected to provide, and the possible alternative responses. Making these decisions will result in the selection of open-ended, fill-in-the blank, binary-choice, scaled-response, or unscaled-response questions. Of course, depending on the type of information desired, a structured interview questionnaire will generally have a combination of these types of questions.
The reader should be alerted to the fact that this article provides only an introduction to structured interviewing. Success in developing and conducting structured interviews requires consulting and studying additional references and reliance on the assistance of experts in the field.
REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED READING
Campion, M.A., Campion, J.E., & Hudson, J.P., Jr. (1994). "Structured Interviewing: A Note on Incremental Validity and Alternative Question Types."
Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 998-1002.
Hollwitz, J. & Wilson, C.E. (1993). "Structured Interviewing in Volunteer Selection."
Journal of Applied Communication Research, 21, 41-52.
General Accounting Office. (1991). Using Structured Interviewing Techniques. Washington, D.C.: Program Evaluation and Methodology Division
(http://www.gao.gov/policy/10_1_5.pdf).
Pawlas, G.E. (1995). "The Structured Interview: Three Dozen Questions to Ask Prospective Teachers."
NASSP Bulletin, 79, 62-65.
Watts, G.E. (1993). "Effective Strategies in Selecting Quality Faculty." Paper presented at the International Conference for Community College Chairs, Deans, and Other Instructional Leaders. Phoenix, AZ.
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Descriptors: *Data Collection; *Educational Research; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; *Research Design; Research Methodology; *Telephone Surveys; *Test Construction; Test Items |
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