2012 interview

1.Gathering Data Through Interviews

An interchange of views

on a topic of mutual interest for knowledge production

(S Kvale, 1996)

A communication tool to gather

information for a research study

Primary source

Expert

General public

Obtain information not available elsewhere

Obtain first hand information

Verify information

Seek opinion

Get expert knowledge

Making contact

Start off with a telephone call or email

Request for an interview

Explain area of study

Make an appointment

Follow up with a formal letter to

confirm time and venue of interview

re-state what the study is about

identify the scope/ area the interview will cover

Interview E-mail_vetted.docx

Important to identify your specific objectives and translate these into questions

Decide on types of questions to use

Ask simple, open-ended questions

Avoid questions with one or two word answers

Plan sequence, rank the questions in case time runs short

Framing of questions- must match the education level , cultural standing and knowledge of the interviewee

Check the wordings carefully to see if it could be offensive to the person

Prepare prompts in case the answer is not specific enough for your information gap

Do a trial run on your friends

Wording should be open-ended.Respondents should be able to choose their own terms when answering questions.

Questions should be as neutral as possible.Avoid wording that might influence answers, e.g., evocative, judgmental wording.

Questions should be asked one at a time.

Questions should be worded clearly.This includes knowing any terms particular to the program or the respondents' culture.

Be careful asking "why" questions.This type of question infers a cause-effect relationship that may not truly exist. These questions may also cause respondents to feel defensive, e.g., that they have to justify their response, which may inhibit their responses to this and future questions.

One can ask questions about:

Behaviors -about what a person has done or is doing

Opinions/values -about what a person thinks about a topic

Feelings -note that respondents sometimes respond with "I think ..." so be careful to note that you're looking for feelings

Knowledge -to get facts about a topic

Sensory -about what people have seen, touched, heard, tasted or smelled

Background/demographics -standard background questions, such as age, education, etc.

Note that the above questions can be asked in terms of past, present or future.

Get the respondents involved in the interview as soon as possible.

Before asking about controversial matters (such as feelings and conclusions), first ask about some facts.With this approach, respondents can more easily engage in the interview before warming up to more personal matters.

Intersperse fact-based questions throughout the interviewto avoid long lists of fact-based questions, which tends to leave respondents disengaged.

Ask questions about the present before questions about the past or future.It's usually easier for them to talk about the present and then work into the past or future.

The last questions might be to allow respondents to provide any other information they prefer to add and their impressions of the interview.

Interview questions.docx

Stiff-backed notebook

Trustworthy writing materials

Tape recorder

Video camera

Camera

A social and interpersonal encounter

Not a data collection exercise

Establish an appropriate atmosphere for participants to feel secure and to talk freely

Note the ethical dimension of the interview- on and off record remarks

Be adept at active listening

Keep conversation going, motivate participants to provide freely information required

Take note of non-verbal communication and gestures

Physical Appearance

Be punctual

Consider how the location and context of the interview would affect how the interview is conducted

Take only as much of the respondents time as you need

If you plan to record the interview or take photographs, request permission first.

Make sure YOU are not in a rush for your next appointment.

Respect your interviewees wish for off the record

THANK your respondent for time taken.

Listening with interest

Probing

Paraphrasing

Summarising

Responding

Re-focusing

Revising additional questions on the spot

Note-taking

Common sense

Good manners

Consider the questions below:

What is your occupation?

Why did you choose this line of work?

Is this what you really wanted? Have

you ever consider anything else?

Probing to go beyond the surface answers

For situations when interviewee gives you a very long answer that elaborates a few key points

Check that you have understood by asking;

Example:

So what happens in the entire process

is basically X, Y and then Z when condition A is present- is that correct?

When answers sound confusing or are full of jargon

Seek clarification by paraphrasing/ rephrasing respondents answers

Example:

Would it be fair for me to say X causes Y with Z being produced as a by-product?

Do you mean that ?

Situation:Interviewee gets side-tracked and you need to gently bring them back to the main topic

Examples:

Thats quite funny..But lets talk about.

Now, going back to what you said earlier on.

Allow for further exploration in a related area

Based on some interesting or relevant information given by the interviewee

Example:

Could you tell me the story briefly? .Thats interesting.Why did your parents hope that you would grow up with that characters traits?

You might have picked up an interesting idea during the interview and followed it up with a question or two to assess its relevance

Mark it out in your notes so that at the end of the interview, if theres still time, you can go back to that thread of conversation and see if you can learn more about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eOynrI2eTM

Send a thank-you card or letter within a day.

Dont procrastinate review of the interview immediately.

Ask yourself:

Are there inconsistencies and discrepancies in the information?

Are there gaps in the information?

If there are, phone your respondent to check for accuracy or to fill an information gap. (Keep this short)

Transcribe the interview recording

Evaluate and summarise the content and the process of your interview

Respect respondents views about anonymity and what to include when citing them

Never take advantage of a respondents indiscreet comments

Be sure to send a copy of your transcript to the interviewee to confirm that youve represented the person accurately

Essential information to include:

Interviewees name

Title of interview

Interviewers name

Date and venue

Purpose of project

A record of the social encounter

Field notes and tape recorders are used to assist with transcribing

Systematically go through data, line by line

Write a a descriptive code by side of each piece of datum

Common conventions include:

----- for hesitant pauses,

[pause] for pauses,

() for side remarks

Recordings will have false starts, redundant uhs and uhms. These can be left out.

Grammar may be cleaned up if it is not the point of the interview.

Exemplar Interview Transcription (2011 Y1).docx

Data on transcript are interpreted data

A reflective interaction of the researcher and the data

Hence the potential for data loss, distortion and simplification during transcription

Issues of reliability, validity and generalization of the data from interviews should be discussed

Subject is multi-disciplined; covering statistics, probability and psychology

Many interviewees say what they think interviewer wants.

Many interviewees are concerned about coming across well.

Many interviewees know more than they tell you.

None are obliged to help you

Adapted from :

-MrColinCheong/2003

-Mrs Martina Ong/2004

-GE IRS /2005

http://www.managementhelp.org/evaluatn/intrview.htm

http://www.engl.niu.edu/wac/interview.html

Interview_Report[Edited].doc

2009 Y1 RE Exemplar Final Report _Gambling_ with comments.doc

2012 Interview Skills Guidelines.doc

2012 interview

Education

Transcript of 2012 interview