RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

POSTAL, INTERVIEW AND TELEPHONE SURVEYS 221
Box 9.4
continued
Study type Features Strengths Weaknesses
Retrospective
longitudinal studies
1Retrospective
analysis of history of a
sample.
2Individual-and
micro-level data.
1Usefulforestablishingcausal
relationships.
2Clearfocus(e.g.howdidthis
particular end state or set of
circumstances come to be).
3Enablesdatatobeassembled
that are not susceptible to
experimental analysis.
1Rememberedinformation
might be faulty, selective and
inaccurate.
2Peoplemightforget,suppress
or fail to remember certain
factors.
3Individualsmightinterpret
their own past behaviour in light
of their subsequent events, i.e.
the interpretations are not
contemporaneous with the
actual events.
4Therootsandcausesofthe
end state may be multiple,
diverse, complex, unidentified
and unstraightforward to
unravel.
5Simplecausalityisunlikely.
6Acausemaybeaneffectand
vice versa.
7Itisdifficulttoseparatereal
from perceived or putative
causes.
8Itisseldomeasilyfalsifiableor
confirmable.
Chapter 9
strong in face-to-face encounters (Dooley 2001:
122). Further, interviewers can either ensure
that the sequence of the survey protocol is
strictly adhered to or they can tailor the
order of responses to individual participants,
making certain, incidentally, that all questions
are answered. Interview surveys, moreover, can
guarantee that it is the respondent alone who
answers the questions, whereas in postal surveys
the researcher never knows what help or
comments are solicited from or given by other
parties. Bailey (1994) adds that the opportunity
for spontaneous behaviour and responses is also
possible in interview surveys. Further, interviews
can use more complex structures than postal
questionnaires, the researcher being on hand to
take participants through the schedule.
On the other hand, the very features that make
interview methods attractive may also make them
problematic. For example, interview survey methods
may be affected by the characteristics of the
interviewer (e.g. sex, race, ethnicity, personality,
skills, social status, clothing and appearance).
They may also be affected by the conduct of the
interview itself (e.g. rapport between the interviewer
and the interviewee), and interviewees may
be reluctant to disclose some information if they
feel that the interview will not be anonymous or if
sensitive information is being requested. The flexibility
which the interview gives also contributes
to the potential lack of standardization of the interview
survey, and this may render consistency
and, thereby, reliability, a problem. Further, interview
surveys are costly in time for the researcher
and the interviewee, and, as they are conducted
at a fixed time, they may prevent the interviewee
from consulting records that may be important to
answer the questions. Further, they may require