Applying Interviews to Education

Interviews are a widely used research method in the sociology of education. They involve a researcher asking questions directly to a participant, either face-to-face or via other channels. Interviews can range from highly structured formats with pre-set questions to completely unstructured, open-ended conversations. In educational settings, interviews can be conducted with pupils, teachers, parents, governors, and other stakeholders. This lesson examines the practical, ethical, and theoretical issues of using different types of interviews to research education.

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Types of Interviews

Type	Description	Data Produced
Structured interviews	Pre-set questions asked in a fixed order; interviewer reads from a schedule	Quantitative (mainly)
Semi-structured interviews	A set of prepared questions but flexibility to follow up and probe	Mix of quantitative and qualitative
Unstructured interviews	No pre-set questions; more like a guided conversation	Qualitative
Group interviews	Several participants interviewed together; can be structured or unstructured	Qualitative (mainly)
Focus groups	A form of group interview where participants discuss a topic and interact with each other	Qualitative