It is a face-to-face technique between a researcher and a respondent. It is the verbal communication/interaction between the interviewer and interviewee.

Advantages of Interview

1. The interview enables a researcher to obtain required information quickly.
2. Not restricted it is flexible.
3. Interview can adapt to situation and gets as much information as required.
4. Provide data, which is not possible to get through questionnaires.
5. Interview method can also employ observation method.

Disadvantages of Interview

1. It is time consuming.
2. If the respondents are suspicious of the information required they can give irrelevant information.
3. There is an element of distortions.
4. The respondent tends to be subjective.
5. It cost the researcher has to travel to meet the respondents in different parts of the country.
6. It becomes a hindrance if the researcher wants to use big samples.

Types of Interviews

Structured Interview

The type of interview in which the same question are asked to respondent.

Unstructured Interview

Is a set of questions that the interviewer asks when interviewing. Probing is commonly used to get deeper information.

Procedure for Conducting an Interview

1. Create friendly atmosphere where two people can talk easily.
2. Maintain warmth and friendliness. It enables respondent to express in detail their thought and feelings.
3. Be neutral in note and do not suggest any answer.
4. Instill confidence and trust to the respondent by assuming his/her information given would be confidential.
5. Explain briefly the purpose of the interview.

These are ready written questions, which are given to the respondent to be answered. Consists of list of questions related to the topics used to obtain the data required.

Advantages of Questionnaires

1. Researchers gets a lot of information from different respondent and from different area in the country.
2. Omission of names makes the respondent to respond to the questions.
3. Freedom to the respondents.
4. It is well planned (structured).
5. It is useful to distant respondent.

Disadvantages of Questionnaires

1. It time consuming
2. It is selective in natural as it is limited to illiterate
3. It may lead to ensure answers when questions need opinions or personal feelings
4. Questions may be understood hence the respondents answer, the way they understood and provide wrong data.
5. May got lost on transit.
6. It is expensive to prepare.

Types of Questionnaires

Structured or Closed-ended Questionnaires

Are questions, which are accompanied by a list of all possible alternatives from which respondent select the answer that is best.

Advantage

1. They are easier to analyze
2. They are easier to administer because each item is followed by an alternative answer

Disadvantage

1. Are more difficult to construct because categories must be well thought out
2. Responses are limited; the respondent is required to answer the questions according to the researcher's choice.

Unstructured or Open-ended Questionnaires

Are question where by the respondents are free to explain the answer. They permit respondent to respond in his/her words.

Advantage

1. Allow a greater chance of responses
2. Simple to formulate because a researcher does not have to come up with appropriate response categories.
3. Can stimulate a person to think about his/her feelings and to express what he/she consider most important.

Disadvantage

1. When the respondent is fire, he/she may give information, which does not answer the concerned research questions.
2. It is time consuming

Procedures Considered in Preparing Questionnaires

1. Questions should be short and straight forward
2. Question should be asked and should follow the order
3. Question should be polite
4. Question should be free from bias

Is the research method which involves intensive discussion on a particularly issue - Normally done in groups of 5-7 people - A researcher guides the discussion and records the data from what is discussed by the members.

Advantages

1. Low cost
2. Rasher becomes an active person in the discussion
3. Respondent get skills of writing , speaking and coordinating
4. Makes respondents understand well the topic
5. Allows critical thinking to the participants
6. Makes the research topic to be live and interesting

Disadvantages

1. Not easy to analyze the data collected
2. Very small sample is used - Selection of sample may be affected by biasness
3. It is time consuming.

Sample

the small number of population, which represents the whole population

Sampling

Is the process of collecting samples from the population.

Sampling Techniques

Random Sampling

It is a type of probability sampling where by every individual an equal chance to be selected in a sample has. This technique involves selecting a sample randomly from the sampling frame without replacement.

Advantages

1. It reduces biasness.
2. It is a very important method in a small population.
3. The method portraits fairness in getting a sample.
4. It gives equal chance to every person to be selected.

Disadvantages

1. The better sample may not be chosen.
2. It is very tedious or tiresome.
3. It is time consuming especially when the population is high.
4. It is representative in Heterogeneous population.

Systematic Sampling

1. It is a sampling technique whereby a sample is obtained randomly but in a systematic way.
2. It involves selection of a sample randomly at regular intervals from the sampling frame.

Stratified Sampling

1. Individuals for the sample are selected from different strata.
2. Example: A researcher wishes to get a sample of 20 students from 5 schools; he/she will have to select 4 students from each.

Purposive Sampling

It is the judgmental sampling in which a researcher uses his/her knowledge to choose individuals to be sampled.

Accidental Sampling

The researcher comes into contact accidentally with the individuals to form a sample.

Snowball Sampling

The researcher begins with the few individuals available, then those individuals recommend others.