Through exposure to the field, the researcher will most likely already have his or her own ideas about the topic by the time that s/he conducts the interview. According to Flick, a semi-standardised interview structure accounts for those presuppositions and makes it possible to discuss them openly (Flick 2009, p.160). Furthermore, “the interviewee’s position is made more explicit and may also be further developed” (Flick 2009, p.160).

This is achieved with the help of different kinds of questions. The interview begins with open questions, which can be answered easily (Flick 2009, p.156). It then moves on to questions which are influenced by the hypotheses formed by the researcher. The ideas the researcher presents in this way might be taken up or refused by the interviewee (Flick 2009, p.157). In the final stage of the interview a confrontational question offering an alternative view on the topic might be asked (Flick 2009, p.157).

The design of the semi-standardised interview also includes a second meeting with the interviewee in which he or she is given the opportunity to check if the content of the interview was represented correctly by the interviewer and to correct any mistakes or misunderstandings (Flick 2009, p.158). This evaluation makes the research process very open and allows the interviewee to participate in a greater extent (Flick 2009, p.161).

To learn about how I used semi-standardised interviews in this specific research, please click here.