FIT4005 Chap.5 Planning and Conducting Research Interviews
Planning and Conducting Research Interviews
Interviews let you follow up, change direction and capture emotion, sensitive detail and the participant's own terms, which a fixed questionnaire cannot. Week 5 weighs these strengths against the costs: answers are not standardised, interviews are not replicable, and recruitment, transcription and analysis take time.
You meet structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, the case against group formats for sensitive topics, and the craft of building a schedule: warm-up first, indirect before direct, difficult questions late, prompts and probes ready, and a proper close.
The worked model repairs weak questions for a semi-structured interview, the format Task C of Assignment 1 requires.
Two further distinctions shape good interviewing. The lecture asks whose knowledge counts as valid evidence for your question, since lecturers, experienced students and future students would describe the same technology differently.
It also asks what you assume a topic is: treating a condition as medical or as social changes every question you write. Making those choices explicit in your rationale shows the reasoning the Task C rubric looks for.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Why interviews instead of surveys
- 02
Strengths and weaknesses of interviewing
- 03
Structured, semi-structured and unstructured
- 04
One-to-one versus group interviews
- 05
Writing and ordering an interview schedule
- 06
Prompts, probes and closure
- 07
Recording, transcription and saturation
Worked example · free
Draft the opening of an interview schedule
- +2Introduction: purpose, expected length, recording, the right to skip questions or withdraw, how data will be stored, and that there are no right or wrong answers.
- +1Warm-up: Can you describe a typical shift and where the cabinet fits into it? Prompt: a recent example.
- +1Indirect: How do colleagues on your ward tend to use the cabinet during busy periods? Prompt: workarounds.
- +1Direct, placed later: What concerns, if any, do you have about relying on it? Prompt: errors or delays.
Key terms
- Interview schedule
- The ordered set of topics, questions and prompts used to keep interviews consistent across participants.
- Probe
- A neutral follow-up that asks for more detail or an example without suggesting an answer.
- Saturation
- The point at which further interviews produce no new themes.
- Unstructured interview
- An interview with few set questions that builds rapport but may drift or need several rounds.
- Focus group
- A group interview with several participants, unsuitable for sensitive topics.
Planning and Conducting Research Interviews FAQ
Which interview type does Task C require?
Task C asks for a 15 to 20 minute semi-structured interview with a fellow Monash student, recorded on Zoom after a signed consent form, ending with a proper closure. The schedule needs an introduction, questions and prompts.
Why put direct questions near the end?
The Week 5 forum poll explains that a warm-up, then indirect, then direct sequence eases participants into the topic. Sensitive or embarrassing questions asked early can close a participant down before rapport exists.
Is a group interview ever appropriate?
Yes, for topics that are not sensitive, such as first-year experiences of campus facilities. For topics like mental health or harassment the week's materials favour one-to-one interviews, because participants may not speak openly in front of others.
Should every interview be recorded and transcribed?
Recording counters memory limits, supports repeated analysis and answers accusations of bias, but the handout notes it can change the dynamic and transcription is slow. Record only with consent, and say how the recording will be stored.
What makes an interviewer effective?
The handout lists qualities such as being clear, gentle with pauses, sensitive, open, steering without dominating, and ethically aware. Its short advice is to follow the respondent rather than the guide, and never answer a question for them.
What is the difference between a prompt and a probe?
A prompt is planned in advance under a question to keep the conversation focused and make sure key points are covered. A probe is a follow-up you use in the moment to get more depth, such as asking for an example, without suggesting what the answer should be.
Assessment move
Practise interviewing before Task C, not during it. Write a short schedule on any everyday technology, run it with a friend, and time it. Listen back for one-word answers, leading phrasing and missed chances to probe.
Because Task C carries half of the Assignment 1 marks and is judged on design, skills, consent, code quality and justification, plan the schedule and consent form together, and draft your coding approach before you interview so the questions produce material you can analyse. Before recording, rehearse your introduction aloud so that purpose, length, recording, rights and data handling are covered in under two minutes.
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