Cousin, Glynis. Researching Learning in Higher Education : An Introduction to Contemporary Methods and Approaches, Taylor & Francis Group, 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/detail.action?docID=380854.
For preparation for my interviews I read the chapter on Semi-Structured interviews. It covers extremely useful and practical information about the interview process and considerations for conduct before during and after. Again, the theme of simplicity strikes me about this process. Do not over complicate things.
Cousin suggests creating a set of themes which serve as a guide to facilitate interview talk which can be used to glean more meaning from experiences.
‘Meaning..is actively and communicatively assembled in the interview encounter’
Both parties must work together to construct meaning and form understandings. A talented interviewer will facilitate a dialogic reflective journey to mutually happen.
A huge important take away is knowing how to listen-practicing active listening. Getting rid of distractions, focusing on words, pauses, and their meaning. Not simply just waiting for your turn to talk.
FORMULATING QUESTIONS
Use less direct to the point questions, they need to be questions that are more than information seeking. They need to get the subject talking, and they need to be open ended and not be leading in any way.
LESS IS MORE- a maximum of 45min interview
Think of it as a ‘conversation with purpose’ (Burgess 1988, Cousins 2008)
Main questions -> then probes -> then follow up questions
5-8 main questions on the topic is advised. Vikki gave me feedback that 5 is plenty but good to have back up if need be.
Question Styles
Tour questions are good to use- they take you on a journey of an experience. For example I could say something like: I am interested in your perception of how work is assessed. Can you take me through your last assessment?
Stand out events probe for things that have big meaning- Have you ever received a grade or feedback which became a turning point for how you saw future achievement?
Hypothetical situations you can create imaginary scenarios to glean information- If you were in charge, what would assessment look like?
Compare or Contrast e.g. can you tell me about your experiences of technical teaching and academic teaching?
Task Question e.g. can you look at these words and tell me what they mean to you with regards to assessment?
Probes
That’s very interesting can you tell me more about…
Do you have an example of when that happened?
What happened following that?
How do you see that as related to the question?
Follow Up Questions
Get more detail, extra info, illustrations, explanations, exceptions to the rule
Check understanding/ Theorising with the interviewee
Reflect back – it sounds like you are saying….is that correct?
So you feel that ….?
From what you are saying it seems like….. does that sound right?
Picking up on hesitancies, tensions or contradictions
Discover what lies beneath them..
Can you say a bit more about that?
Can you talk me through what happens when….?
Give interviewees the chance to think about difficult questions and then get back to you.
Ending
Checking for missed opportunities- Is there anything you would like to add about potential benefits of technicians being involved in assessment that hasn’t been covered yet?
Thank them and specify they will get a transcript and a date to get comments back.
Field Notes
Reflect on questions and answers
Any unfilled gaps?
Feelings about the setting interviews etc.
How were meanings produced? What might the meanings tell us about the topic in question?
Additional things to consider
How might the circumstances of the interview be shaping what the interviewee is saying? (Intersectionality around gender, class, ethnicity, disability etc) Is there a power imbalance/ asymmetry between discloser and disclosee?
Minimising the power present
Disclose own relevant experiences and facilitate an ‘exploratory thrust’ rather than information prospecting. I understand how this could work but also struggle where to draw the line with this as an interviewee…if you share too much will it steer or influence responses if you do this? Where does this fit with not interrupting the flow or staying quiet to let the subject freely explore?
Maintaining a reflective stance throughout
Keep referring to positionality throughout, what parts of it are problematic? Have a conversational style and build trust
Build Rapport
Quality of conversation is largely dependant on rapport building capacity- this means it could be a good idea to use people I have a working relationship with and not a complete stranger.
Embellishing responses or pleasing behaviour
How can the interviewer be sure to get candid answers? And not obligingly offering what they think you might need? An exploratory dialogic direction to the interview may help to avoid this.
Giving Voice
Giving space and attention to the interviewee, creating a developmental dialogue but manage it so it does not end up becoming like a therapy session. Again, this stresses active listening, letting the participant do most of the talking.
Non-linguistic communication
Body language
Tone of Voice
Pauses and silences
Modes of dress
Pauses and silences have come up a lot in the videos and articles I have read. They suggest leaving a silent space to prompt the subject to continue speaking a little more, as this is often the time the interviewee often will provide unsolicited information with deep meaning. Tone of voice is something I hadn’t really considered. I’m so glad I will be recording the interview and will be able to pick up on these sorts of things- as there’s a lot to think about and I don’t want it to interfere with my active listening at the time of the interview. Having said that I need to listen out for places where I need to probe further, and tone of voice may be an indicator of this. Body language is one to consider in an in-person interview. This is trickier online as you generally only see head and shoulders. (I am giving my participants the ability to choose whichever suits them better) but I suppose I can look out for facial expression. Modes of dress…not to sure what to think about that….seems like that could be tied up in a lot of assumptions.
Consent
Other than explicit consent form which consider research ethics and permissions, Cousin suggests letting interviewees see transcripts and comment on analysis. I will build time to do this within my study.
IS IT A TRUSTWORTHY REPORT– checklist- These are all things I must consider when analysing my data.
Have you avoided smoothing your interpretation? Oversimplifying or too sensitive to variation of experience and viewpoint?
What has determined your decision about the numbers of interviews, and can you defend this? Yes.. it is a small scale research, where time is very limited. It is also just a starting point so I need to keep the numbers manageable.
Have you shared emerging ideas with interviewees throughout and post interview?
Did you build rapport? I will be interviewing colleagues that I have some familiarity with so there will be some rapport established from the get go. At the beginning of the interview we will spend time catching up and relaxing into it.
Have you asked a colleague to check transcripts to explore rival interpretations?
Have you kept a diary to capture reflection and theoretical leads? I am reflecting on my experiences and reading through my SIP blog.
Have you avoided cherry picking quotes?
Have you displayed questions as well as responses to show developmental dialogue?
Did you explore alternative data sources to strengthen your interpretations? (I’m not sure I will have time to do this but I can talk about future thinking, and where I would move the research on to..)
THINK LIKE A JOURNALIST- Kelsey Samuels
This Ted talk grabbed my attention when researching interviews. Journalists spend a lot of time gleaning information and re-telling it. It was a really interesting take on thinking about your positionality when re-telling stories. ‘What if I am wrong?’ What I write makes and shapes peoples perspectives. Evaluate what we hear before we pass it on. Adjust beliefs to fit the evidence in front of us instead of using it to re-enforce personal biases.
During my action research interviews these are all things I must consider and be aware of. I need to be self-reflective and keep checking in if the things that I am saying are grounded in truth and not motivated by my perceived intentions or wants for my project. I am interested in perspectives other than my own so I can look at the question in a different way- are there things I didn’t consider? I’m interested in that as much as the things that I think might come up.