In the current corporate world, interviews are in different forms and formats, but all interviews subscribe to one of three types of interviews. The three types of interviews are structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, and unstructured interviews (Ryan et al., 2009). These three types of interviews vary in many aspects. This paper will delve into discussing the three types of interviews. The paper will also examine an example of each type of interview to give a better understanding of the different types of interviews. Another issue that will be discussed in this paper includes the ethical and issues that must be considered when conducting a study that focuses on childhood and disease. Lastly, the paper will describe the various techniques that can be used to promote retention in a study.
Types of Interviews
Job interviews come in all shapes and sizes, but whatever the case, every job interview can be structure in 3 different ways, which include structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and semi-structured interviews (Ryan et al., 2009). Significant differences exist between these three types of interviews. Structured interviews are composed of standardized questions. This means that the interviewer asks the interviewee a particular set of predetermined questions. All the candidates are asked to provide responses to the predetermined questions. It is important to note that the questions are in the same order. This makes it easy to compare or analyze the responses. In addition, structured interviews help interviewers to evaluate candidates most objectively and fairly. This is what makes this type of interview more legally defensible. An example of a structured interview question is: “How do you suggest new treatments and skin therapies to clients?”
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With regard to unstructured interviews, questions are not prepared in advance. This means that the questions arise spontaneously during the conversation with the candidate (Ryan et al., 2009). Thus, all candidates are not asked the same questions. Unstructured interviews are used because of their personalized approach. This type of interview is useful when an interviewer wants to compare equally qualified candidates. Unstructured interviews are also used for jobs where the personality and communication skills of candidates are crucial. An example of an unstructured interview question is: “tell me more about yourself.” This question is often used to open a conversation. The interviewer then steers the conversation to cover other issues that will determine the flow of the interview.
Semi-structured interviews are composed of both predetermined questions and questions that arise spontaneously in a conversation (Ryan et al., 2009). Thus, this type of interview is a combination of both structured interviews and unstructured interviews. They can be used to secure an objective comparison of candidates. Moreover, they can be used to provide a more personalized and spontaneous approach that will let interviewers explore important issues. An example of a semi-structured interview question is: “What were the keys to your success as a public relations representative for Mayo Clinic? Based on the candidate’s response, the interviewer can ask more specific questions. For instance, if the candidate mentioned landing new clients as the key to his/her success, the interviewer may proceed and ask the following question: “Can you describe the approach you used to land new clients for Mayo Clinic?”
Ethical and Legal Issues
Research studies often use human subjects for different kinds of research. Human subjects, particularly children, are vulnerable. Thus, researchers must uphold the rights of their participants. There are a number of ethical and legal issues that research must consider when conducting a study that focuses on childhood disease and illness. Dr. Nahid Ferdousi, an associate Professor of Law from Bangladesh Open University, argues that “The basic principles of ethics ensure the principles of justice, mutual respect and the avoidance of doing harm to children subject to any research” (Ferdousi, 2015, 6).
The most fundamental consideration in studies that involved children as the human subject is deciding if there is a need to conduct the study and if there is a need to involve children in the research and in what capacity (Ferdousi, 2015). Given that the research focuses on children’s disease and illness, it is highly likely that children will be involved in the study as human subjects. The researchers need to assess the impact that participating in the study may have on children. More specifically, the researchers need to critically assess the potential harm and possible benefits (Ferdousi, 2015).
At the very onset of the research, researchers must also obtain informed consent from parents or guardians and children (Ferdousi, 2015). Informed consent is an explicit agreement between researchers and participants. It informs the participants about the research. Informed consent must be given voluntarily and be negotiable to enable children to have the freedom to withdraw from the research process (Ferdousi, 2015). In addition to informed consent, the research should seek approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Research studies involving human subjects are required to seek approval from IRB first.
Another ethical consideration when conducting research involving children is privacy and confidentiality. Researchers are required to respect the privacy of the participants. This includes respecting the privacy of participants’ information. They should assure the participants that the information will remain secure and confidential. Another aspect they should consider is the privacy of the participants remain anonymous in the publication and dissemination of findings.
Moreover, researchers should appropriately compensate participants for any expenses, time, or lost income ( Zweben et al., 2009) . In addition, they should be acknowledged for their contribution. However, the researchers should not use this to coerce, persuade, and/or control the participants before, during, and/or after the study. Payment and compensation of participants ought to be guided by the principles of justice, benefit, and respect. Based on these principles, participants ought to be adequately recompensed and given fair returns for their involvement.
Techniques, Methods, and Recommendations for promoting retention in a study
There are a number of strategies that researchers can use to retain participants in a study. First, they should create a welcoming environment. This will help make participants’ experiences with the research as smooth and enjoyable as possible. Some gestures that researchers include offering coffee or tea and conducting interviews in areas that afford privacy ( Zweben et al., 2009) . Secondly, researchers should establish an efficient tracking system. This will enable researchers to locate the participants of their study. Several procedures can make this more likely. This includes collecting the email addresses of the participants and names and contact information of people that can help locate the participants. This will help the researchers keep in touch with the participants, which is very crucial in a study.
Thirdly, the researchers should educate the participants about their role as research participants. This will increase their understanding of the research. Fourthly, researchers should establish a routine while maintaining flexibility ( Zweben et al., 2009) . This includes sending reminder letters and making phone calls to notify and remind the research participants about their appointments. Moreover, they should establish a protocol for following missed appointments. Lastly, researchers should provide incentives for participation. This includes offering the research participants rewards such as monetary payments, food, and lodge. However, the use of incentives can result in a number of potential ethical issues. Incentives for participation are potentially coercive ( Zweben et al., 2009) . For this reason, incentives for study participation should be reviewed and approved by IRB.
References
Ferdousi, N. (2015). Children as research subjects: The ethical issues. Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics , 6 (1), 6-10.
Ryan, F., Coughlan, M., & Cronin, P. (2009). Interviewing in qualitative research: The one-to-one interview. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation , 16 (6), 309-314.
Zweben, A., Fucito, L. M., & O’Malley, S. S. (2009). Effective strategies for maintaining research participation in clinical trials. Drug information journal: DIJ/Drug Information Association , 43 (4), 459-467.
