Which is a strength of an unstructured interview?

Which is a strength of an unstructured interview?

• A. Not easy to replicate.
• B. Get more detailed answers.
• C. Not easy to analyse.
• D. Experimenter effects can occur.

Answer: (B)

Unstructured interviews are valuable because their flexible, conversational approach lets the interviewer probe and follow up, prompting participants to elaborate in their own words. This openness yields more detailed, nuanced answers about thoughts, feelings, and contexts that fixed questions might miss. The richness of the data is the key strength. By contrast, lack of standardization makes replication—and later analysis—more difficult, and the same flexibility can introduce subjectivity and potential experimenter effects. So, the ability to obtain detailed, in-depth responses stands out as the main advantage.

Unstructured interviews are valuable because their flexible, conversational approach lets the interviewer probe and follow up, prompting participants to elaborate in their own words. This openness yields more detailed, nuanced answers about thoughts, feelings, and contexts that fixed questions might miss. The richness of the data is the key strength. By contrast, lack of standardization makes replication—and later analysis—more difficult, and the same flexibility can introduce subjectivity and potential experimenter effects. So, the ability to obtain detailed, in-depth responses stands out as the main advantage.