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Key Takeaways
- The difference between surveys and standardized interviews is that questions and answer options are read to respondents in a standardized interview, rather than having respondents complete a questionnaire on their own. As with questionnaires, the questions posed in a standardized interview tend to be closed-ended.
- An interview schedule contains the list of questions and answer options that the researcher will read to respondents. In a quantitative interview, consistency in the way that the questions and answer options are presented is very important. The aim is to pose every question-and-answer option in the very same way to every respondent.
- Researchers must be aware of the power researchers can hold over respondents, particularly in standardized interviews, where the respondent has less control during the interview process. There are techniques to rebalance the power.
- Rapport is the sense of connection a researcher establishes with a participant. A good rapport between interviewer and interviewee is crucial to successful interviewing.
- A probe is a request for more information. Active listening means the researcher will probe the respondent for more information from time to time throughout the interview. Both qualitative and quantitative interviewers probe respondents, though the way they probe usually differs. In quantitative interviews, probing should be uniform.
