We started to collect data about rural supply chain resilience and pilot interviewed entrepreneurs. One of the challenge we recognized that different interviewers shape the responses differently, even they use the same script. How can we handle this issue?
Robert,
Can you give an example of two interviewers and how they "shape the responses differently"?
Dennis
Dennis Mazur
It starts from the introduction and the appearance of the interviewer. Overdressing cause more formalized responses, under-dressing cause lower openness and response rate. Credible introduction and strong, somewhat similar background with the respondent, comforting questions open the respondents, the opposite close them.
The personality, race, gender and assumed religion of the interviewer can cause differences as well, even in a liberal or open culture. New Zealand has a diverse population and a liberal culture.
The used language can be sophisticated, simple, jargon or slang. This can be helpful or deteriorating. The used examples and analogies can be well received or cause confusion. Etc.
2 points:
1. These are extremely interesting results in their own right. Be sure to publish them.
2. One possible solution (and thjis could also be a comparative study),
simply give a paper-pencil set of questions to be filled out with no interviewer present, have respondents complete; then do the followup interviews about the answers the respondents gave to the questionnaire.
Let me know what you think.
Dennis
Dennis Mazur