What Is A Semi-Structured Interview?

The semi-structured interview is a type of interview that is designed to elicit information from participants by means of prompts rather than through direct questions, A semi-structured interview is a type of interview in which the interviewer asks questions designed to elicit specific information from the applicant or employee.

The interviewer’s questions may take the form of open/closed-ended questions, as well as behavioral questions and hypothetical questions, The goal of the semi-structured interview is for the interviewer to learn more about the applicant or employee than can be gleaned from a completed application form.

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The participant is given a set of possible responses, which indicate the topic that the interviewer would like the participant to discuss. The prompts are “open-ended” so that the participant can write a verbal response.

This type of interview is often preferred by researchers because the responses are much more open, detailed, and specific.

Semi-structured interviews may be administered orally or in writing, but written interviews are easier to administer and transcribe.

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Why are Semi-Structured Interviews necessary?

They provide a way to gain in-depth information from respondents in a relatively short amount of time, while still allowing for some flexibility in the topics covered. They also allow the interviewer to probe for more information on certain topics, as needed.