What are the strengths of semi- and unstructured interviews?

Answer 1

One advantage is that rapport is build up because the respondent has trust in the interviewer, so the validity of the findings is high and a good technique for sensity areas of sociology e.g. domestic violence and eating disorders. there is huge potential for flexibility as the respondent leads the interview. However, there are disadvantages using this technique, as the sample size tends to be small due to detailed and time consuming nature of this technique, making it difficult to generalize. It is not a systematic method so it's difficult to verify and reliability is inevitable lowered. It can lack objectivity, the way in which the interviewer asks the questions mayaffect the results. The interviewer may offer their opinion without realising which may bias the results.