3.1.11—Interview practical
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Objective
- 3.1.11
- Level
- SL
Interviews turn participants' accounts into evidence through a planned interaction
An interview is a researcher–participant conversation used to collect self-report data. Structured interviews standardise questions; semi-structured interviews use a guide but allow probing; unstructured interviews follow the participant's account more freely.
Question wording, rapport, order, recording and reflexivity affect what is said and how it is interpreted. Pilot the schedule, protect confidentiality and obtain informed consent, especially when topics are sensitive.
A semi-structured interview about sleep can ask the same core questions while probing an unexpected routine. Two researchers can compare coding, but agreement does not remove social-desirability or interviewer effects.
Rich quotations do not automatically make findings valid. State the sampling, interview format, analysis and ethical safeguards before judging credibility or transferability.
A practical workflow is: define a focused health question; choose structured, semi-structured or focus-group format; recruit an appropriate sample; prepare neutral, open questions and prompts; pilot and revise the schedule; obtain informed consent and agree recording/confidentiality; conduct without leading; debrief and provide support information for sensitive topics; transcribe or summarize consistently; then code and report themes with reflexive notes and anonymized evidence.