UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

A semi-structured interview uses an interview guide with pre-determined questions or topics, but it also allows the interviewer flexibility to probe, ask follow-up questions and change the order based on the flow of conversation. This balance ensures coverage of key areas while giving participants room to express their views in depth. It is particularly useful in qualitative research where both consistency and openness are valued. Because the stem describes pre-planned questions with freedom for follow-up, it refers to a semi-structured interview.

Option A:
Structured interviews rely on a fixed set of questions asked in the same order and wording to all respondents, leaving little scope for deviation or probing beyond predefined prompts. While this increases standardisation, it does not provide the degree of flexibility mentioned in the question. Therefore, structured is not the correct answer.

Option B:
Unstructured interviews are highly flexible, often resembling guided conversations with few or no pre-planned questions. The interviewer explores topics as they emerge, which is more open-ended than what the stem describes. Since the question emphasises pre-planned questions combined with some freedom, semi-structured, not unstructured, is appropriate.

Option C:
Semi-structured interviews allow the researcher to adapt to participants’ responses, clarifying ambiguities and exploring interesting themes while still covering all key topics. This makes them well suited to research that seeks both comparability and depth. These characteristics align closely with the stem’s description, confirming semi-structured as the correct completion.

Option D:
Clinical interviews typically refer to in-depth, often therapeutic interviews used in clinical psychology or psychiatry, where the focus is on diagnosis or treatment. Although they may be flexible, the term does not specifically denote the combination of pre-planned questions with systematic follow-ups described in the stem. Hence, clinical is not the best option here.