Interview is a process of two people interacting with each other and sharing ideas or thoughts on a particular topic. Unlike a regular conversation, an interview is a way of talking that aims to achieve the goals of the topic being talked to through questions made by the researcher and through the answers or feedback of the interviewee. One of the so many disadvantages of conducting research or interviews is it allows the researcher or the interviewer to influence the interviewee’s response on a particular topic or subject. Two people interacting with one subject will definitely have ways to share each other’s points of view.
Through interviews, a researcher could also influence the response of his subject through his questions. If a researcher will make questions where his opinions and beliefs will reflect, then somehow he sways his subject’s answers already. The purpose of an interview is to know and research more of a certain topic. Experts and people that are aware of a certain subject can be considered as credible sources of information thus making them the people to be interviewed to further improve the details of the topic or the subject of research.
Though advantages and disadvantages are there to either improve or destroy a research, an interview still is one of the most important tools used to have credible and valid points in a research topic. Still, an interviewer conducting the research has the power to make the flow of the interview to be on his liking or to be neutral and just rely on whatever the response of the interviewee about his topic. Conversation is a natural way of people to communicate and share ideas, opinions, and reflect beliefs.
Interview could also be like this, people conducting interviews still has standards and ways to make the flow of the interview meet their expectations. That’s the reason interviewers have the power in influencing the responses of their subjects on a particular issue.
Reference: Opdenakker, R. (2006, September). Advantages and Disadvantages of Four Interview Techniques in Qualitative Research. Volume 7, No. 4, Art. 11. Retrieved May 18, 2007, from http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/175#g21