What is often a goal of semi-structured interviews?

Semi-structured interviews are designed to balance both structured and flexible approaches in data collection, which enables the interviewer to explore topics in depth while still gathering specific information. The primary goal is to gather qualitative insights that can provide a rich, detailed understanding of participants' perspectives. However, they can also yield quantitative insights through the use of predetermined questions or themes. This combination allows for deeper exploration of responses, enabling researchers to adapt questions and follow-up based on the participant's answers, leading to a more nuanced understanding of the topic being studied.

In contrast, strictly following a questionnaire focuses more on uniformity and limits the opportunities for exploration, which is not the essence of semi-structured interviews. Avoiding follow-up questions entirely goes against the nature of this method, which values the adaptability and flexibility that can uncover deeper insights. While ensuring all participants receive the same questions may sound effective for consistency, in semi-structured interviews, the goal is to allow for variations and follow-ups that can lead to richer data collection.