Probing behaviour of interviewers in the standardised semi-open research interview

Abstract

In the semi-open research interview questions are presented to the respondent without mentioning the answer categories to be used for coding. So the respondents are free to formulate the answers in their own way, but interviewers are supposed to record the respondents' answers in the precoded answer categories. This presupposes that respondents will give answers that match these categories. However, the formulation of interview questions does not always make clear which type of answer is expected from the respondent. When the question is met with an inadequate answer the interviewer uses certain interactional devices in order to generate an adequate answer. This may easily result into answers the validity of which may be doubted.