· 2015
Conducting Semi‐Structured Interviews
- 1,452citations
- 2015year
Short summary
Semi-structured interviews (SSIs), blending closed and open-ended questions, are effective for gaining deep insights despite being labor-intensive.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- SSIs use a mix of question types, including follow-up 'why' or 'how' queries.
- An optimal SSI length is around one hour to manage respondent and interviewer fatigue.
- SSIs are particularly valuable for tasks requiring extensive follow-up questions.
- Effectively conducted SSIs yield significant insights and information, justifying the effort.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Conducted conversationally with one respondent at a time, the semi-structured interview (SSI) employs a blend of closed- and open-ended questions, often accompanied by follow-up why or how questions. About one hour is considered a reasonable maximum length for SSIs in order to minimize fatigue for both interviewer and respondent. This chapter begins with a discussion on the disadvantages and advantages of SSIs. Despite the disadvantages and costs of SSIs, they offer some extraordinary benefits as well. Semi-structured interviews are superbly suited for a number of valuable tasks, particularly when more than a few of the open-ended questions require follow-up queries. The chapter presents some recommendations that can be considered when constructing an SSI guide. All in all, effectively conducted semi-structured interviews, even though labor intensive, should be worth the effort in terms of the insights and information gained.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source., 2015 · DOI ↗
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Field: Management Science and Operations Research
Management Science and Operations ResearchDecision Sciences