Evaluate+semi-structured,+focus+group+and+narrative+interviews.

Willig (2001): most widely used method of data collection in qualitative research in psychology Can be used in situations gather data on socially sensitive issues Less biased by researcher's preconceptions because participants do most of the talking By using open-ended questions it can lead to further discussion on different areas The interview guide sets out themes for exploration It is compatible with many methods of data analysis - allows for analysis in a variety of ways For the interviewer - they usually try to match the age, gender and ethnicity of the interviewer and participant because this can influence the results otherwise || Doing inductive content analysis (data analysis) is time consuming Can be expensive if an interviewer is employed each time for one participant at a time Interviewer can give out unconscious signals that can affect the participants answer The quality of the data can depend on the skill of the interviewer Not entirely ecologically valid - focus on individual processes (one-on-one conversations) in an artificial environment talking about particular topics for an elongated period of time The researcher has no real way of knowing if the respondent is lying. Depth of qualitative information may be difficult to analyze. The nature of this type of interview may make findings difficult to generalize because the participant may effectively be answering different questions or brought up different topics. || Can generate rich data No discrimmination against illiterate people Can be argued to be less stressful (pressure of one-on-one interviews) Focus group members can be homogeneous, heterogeneous, pre-existing, concerned, or naive. Using focus groups is a quick, convenient way to gather data It is a natural setting, so it can be argued that there is higher ecological validity Very useful when trying to determine what & how people think, as well as why people think a specific way Cultural values and group norms can be surfaced during discussions and responses Conversation in the focus group can lead to people opening up further about some information they may not have wanted to share in a one-on-one interview || People might not speak out their opinion because they are scarred about being judged People might conform. They might undergo the social desirability effect, which is when they say what they think might make people like them better. The depth of the information highly depends on group dynamics. People that are confident might dominate the conversation and therefore not every opinion is heard. Some people might be quiet and not want to say as much as others. People might not be comfortable revealing personal information or sensitive information. Not appropriate for every research question. Some questions might be too sensitive, such as personal experiences. Ethical issues are raised if the participants are not "free". They might not have a choice but to participate. || Strengths of Narrative interviews: -helps explore complexity of individual experiences in incredible detail. (rich and valid data) -helps explain how people construct meaning in their lives. -can be used with all people because literacy isn't required.
 * **Strengths of semi-structured interviews**
 * **Limitations of semi-structured interviews**
 * **Strengths of focus-groups**
 * **Limitations of focus-groups**
 * **Strengths of narrative interview** ||
 * **Limitations of narrative interviews**
 * Transcribing and analyzing the interview may be extremely time consuming
 * Participant may go off track/get distracted, as there is no interviewer to lead the interview ||