Interviewing Zoran Tesic

Preparation: Find out as much as possible about your interviewee Know your main research question Prepare your questions in advance Prepare what you are going to do

Planning your interview The key questions when planning your interview are: WHY: what is the purpose of what I want to find out? WHAT: what I want to investigate? HOW: what question I am going to ask to obtain the intended information?

We conduct interview to: Understand the world from the other person’s view. We want to know what he/she knows the way he/she knows it. You want to understand meaning of other person’s experience, to walk in his/her shoes, feel things as the person you are interviewing feel, to explain things as the other person explain them. (How they see the world?) Treat the person you are interviewing as your teacher who is helping your understand things you want to know.

Scripting the interview The preparation for the interview contain some topics to be covered and carefully worded questions. The topics to be covered relate to ‘what’ I want to find out. When preparing your questions ask open questions. Open questions are any questions that give more than a yes- or – no answers.

Open questions A question that begins with on of the six W words is an open question: Who What When Where Why How

For example: When did you first ….. When you look back………………. Where were you …… Why did you choose …. What was it like ……….. What where the advantages of …………. How did you feel ………….

Types of questions Introductory questions: Can you tell me about you…?; DO you remember on occasion when…?; What happened when…?; Could you describe in as much detail as possible a situation…? Direct questions: Have you ever…?; Did you experience…?; Do you like…? Probing questions: Could you say something more about that?; Can you give more detailed description of what happened?; Do you have further examples of this? Specifying questions: What did you actually do when…?; How did you react…?; What was your experience of …?

Types of questions Interpreting questions: Is it correct that you feel that…?; Does it mean that…?; Does the event you described express your…?

Important: Have prepared questions but be ready to adapt and move the story forward by asking supplementary questions, which arise from the interview. Be a good listener: It will help you concentrate on listening to answers if you look at the contributor all the time, and nod or smile occasionally

Video example Semi structured in depth interviewing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGQz8hZQ8fU

TASK: You interview a colleague from the class and try to find out about his life, interests, view point and what they would like to make for their FMP. You will work in pairs, prepare interviews and interview questions, record them and upload on your blogs. Once you uploaded your recordings you will analyse your interview and produce the findings to your peer. Don’t forget to keep your questions open, but within the subject matter.

Research Questions (topics) Example Research Questions (topics) Interview questions What was your childhood like? Where have you been born? Where did you go to school? What games did you like to play when you were child? Who was your best friend and why?