ABSTRACT
An interview is defined as a specialized form of communication between people for a specific purpose associated with some agreed subject matter. Thus, the interview is a highly purposeful task which goes beyond mere conversation. There are many advantages to the interview as a method of data collection. People are more easily engaged in an interview than in completing a questionnaire. Thus, there are fewer problems with people failing to respond. Second, the interviewer can clarify questions and probe the answers of the respondent, providing more complete information than would be available in written form. It is this opportunity for in-depth probing that makes the interview so attractive when dealing with informed respondents. Third, interviewing enables the interviewer to pick up non-verbal cues, including facial expressions, tones of voice and, in the case of interviews conducted on the respondent’s turf, cues from the surroundings and context.
