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Conducted conversationally with one respondent at a time, the semi-structured interview (SSI) employs a blend of closed- and open-ended questions, often accompanied by follow-up why or how questions. About one hour is considered a reasonable maximum length for SSIs in order to minimize fatigue for both interviewer and respondent. This chapter begins with a discussion on the disadvantages and advantages of SSIs. Despite the disadvantages and costs of SSIs, they offer some extraordinary benefits as well. Semi-structured interviews are superbly suited for a number of valuable tasks, particularly when more than a few of the open-ended questions require follow-up queries. The chapter presents some recommendations that can be considered when constructing an SSI guide. All in all, effectively conducted semi-structured interviews, even though labor intensive, should be worth the effort in terms of the insights and information gained.

Section: 19 _eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781119171386.ch19 DOI: 10.1002/9781119171386.ch19