Structured, Semi-Structured & Unstructured
The “Big 3” Interview Approaches Explained
By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | July 2024
The “Big 3” Interview Approaches
When it comes to collecting data by means of interviews, there are three potential approaches you can take:
Naturally, each of these approaches has its strengths and weaknesses, and the right choice will depend on your research aims and research questions. So, let’s dig into each of them to help you find the right option for your study.
Option 1: Structured Interviews
Structured interviews are akin to a well-rehearsed play. Each question is pre-determined, ensuring that every participant is asked the same set in the same order – similar to a survey. This rigidity allows you to achieve a high level of consistency in your approach and makes it easier to compare responses. Naturally, this approach also allows you to move through the interviewing process quite quickly – at least compared to the other options.
All that said, the structured approach can be something of a double-edged sword. Specifically, the emphasis on consistency presents a trade-off in terms of the depth of responses. Moreover, it limits your ability to explore unexpected but potentially relevant topics that crop up naturally during the conversation. In a nutshell then, we can say that the structured interview approach sacrifices flexibility for consistency.
So, when would it make sense to go the structured route?
As you can probably imagine, this approach is useful for projects where you need specific, comparable data from a large number of participants. For example, if your aims involved validating a theory across multiple, relatively large demographic groups, structured interviews could be a good fit. As with all methodological choices though, you’d need to carefully consider your research aims and questions to assess whether this approach would give you the type of data you need.
Option 2: Unstructured Interviews
Next, let’s head to the opposite side of the spectrum and look at unstructured interviews.
With unstructured interviews, the script is thrown out of the window, and the conversation is guided by the participants’ responses. Think of it more as a jazz improvisation rather than a classical concert. With this approach, you, as the interviewer, merely facilitate a free-flowing dialogue, letting your participants’ priorities and viewpoints steer the discussion. As you’d expect, unstructured interviews can do a great job of revealing unexpected insights and richly detailed personal stories.
The downside, of course, is the potential for time-consuming tangents. In some cases, you may also need to hold more than one round of interviews to collect follow-up information. Linked to this is the challenge of managing and analysing the large, diverse dataset that this interviewing approach generates. In other words, it’s once again a tradeoff. In this case, you’re trading consistency for depth and flexibility.
As you’d expect, unstructured interviews are ideal for studies that are exploratory in nature. For example, unstructured interviews could make sense for research aims that involve understanding personal experiences of trauma or the challenging journey of entrepreneurship. So, as always, the suitability of this approach depends on the nature of your research aims and research questions.
Option 3: Semi-Structured Interviews
Last but not least, let’s move to the middle ground and take a look at semi-structured interviews.
As the name suggests, semi-structured interviews provide something of a balance between rigidity and flexibility – in other words, structured and unstructured. In practical terms, semi-structured interviews start with a set of guiding questions but allow the interviewer to digress, probe deeper, and explore emerging themes. Naturally, this sort of flexibility allows you to unearth richer, more nuanced data, and provide insights that a rigid question set might miss.
Sounds like the perfect blend, right?
Well, the challenge with this approach lies in the skill of the interviewer. Specifically, you need to maintain focus on the core questions while also being responsive to the flow of conversation – and managing the clock. This juggling act can be challenging, especially for first-time researchers. It’s easy to get distracted and sidetracked, especially if the participant is particularly chatty. So, you need to be skilled in directing a conversation to pull this approach off.
As you can probably guess, semi-structured interviews are particularly valuable in studies where understanding the diversity of perspectives or experiences is crucial. For instance, in researching the impact of a social policy, you might start with specific questions about the policy and then evolve into exploring its varied effects on individuals’ lives. In principle, semi-structured interviews provide the best of both worlds. But, be careful not to underestimate the skill required to execute these types of conversations well.
How To Choose
To quickly recap, the three types of interviews are structured, semi-structured and unstructured. Choosing the right type of interview for your study hinges on your research aims and questions.
- Structured interviews are a good option when you need clear, comparable data across a relatively large sample.
- On the flip side, if your research is centred on personal experiences or delves into uncharted territories, unstructured interviews can provide flexibility and allow you to capture a high level of depth.
- Last but not least, if your study aims to explore a phenomenon in-depth, while also retaining some level of comparability, semi-structured interviews could be a good fit.
For more information about interviewing stategies and qualitative research in general, be sure to visit the award-winning Grad Coach Blog. Alternatively, if you’d like more hands-on help, check out out Private Coaching service.
