Semi-structured Interview: A Methodological Reflection on the Development of a Qualitative Research Instrument in Educational Studies

This article aims to describe how the semi-structured interview is conducted in qualitative research. The main
focus of this article is to explain how the interview is employed to obtain in-depth information. Based on these
premises, this article discusses two thematically based accounts. First, the semi-structured interview is more
powerful than other types of interviews for qualitative research because it allows for researchers to acquire in-
depth information and evidence from interviewees while considering the focus of the study. Second, it allows
flexibility and adaptability for researchers to hold their track as compared to an unstructured interview, where
its direction is not fully considered. This article uses extensive literature reviews related to the methodological
reflections of researchers in qualitative research. Hence, the semi-structured interview could potentially enable
qualitative researchers to amend their research questions throughout their studies while maintaining their
track. The article further suggests that current qualitative researchers are required to be more concerned about
how to use semi-structured interviews, especially when robust findings are the main objectivies.