Different types of interviews serve different purposes; however, they all share a common goal of collecting data in different situations. The data may be factual in generating quantitative input for a research project, attitudinal in gauging public acceptance of a proposed educational policy, or used in gaining a better understanding of a certain organizational feature of an educational institution. The normal progression in the interview process is from using open-ended questions as ice-breakers to establishing rapport with the interviewee, followed by negotiating the format, scope and range of the questions. Many researchers distinguish types of interviews by the amount of structure used in the process. Effective use of interviewing in qualitative research has also been discussed by researchers. Types of interviews applicable to educational research include: standardized survey interviews, in-depth interviews, intensive interviews, the long interview, the focused interview, and interviews of elites. Given the culturally diverse and heterogeneous population, problems and biases are becoming more apparent. Variables in the interview process include: race, gender, age, educational level, and social status. Because of cultural and linguistic variables, different people attach different degrees of importance to the value, worth or intent of certain questions and answers. Treating interviews as discourses and speech events open a whole new area for further research. Contains 31 references. (RS)