Guide to Interviewing Nutrition 531 Winter 2009

Why do qualitative interviews? Quantitative information may not be sufficient for decision-making. Qualitative information can be used to understand motivation, behavior and perspectives. Interview data can help to generate recommendations to improve a situation. During the interview respondents’ understandings can be enhanced and they can be encouraged to think about an issue in new ways.

What makes a good interview? Interactivity Neutrality- don’t: express surprise, approval or disapproval laugh too much or make the interview seem like a chat you might have with a good friend seek clarification in a way that leads toward a particular answer Iterative questioning (use of non-leading probes to get more in-depth responses)

What makes a good interviewer? Establishes good rapport: friendly, warm Calm and confident Easily understood: Speaks clearly, reads slowly, provides clarification when needed A good listener: shows interest, listens actively, probes for clarification or more in- depth coverage Accurate documentation Professional conduct

Multi-tasking while interviewing Make sure that all key points on interview guide are covered. Listen carefully, ask for clarity for areas of uncertainty. Guide/revise the direction of the interview (don’t need to ask a question if answer already volunteered with earlier question). Keep the interview on track, but don’t eliminate chances to collect new information.

Ethics of Interviews Confidentiality Respondent has right to refuse to answer any question. Time is valuable – interviewer has obligation to use respondents’ time wisely.

Before the Interview Practice the script. Know the name of the person you are calling. Choose a quiet place. Have the script and pen in front of you. Be flexible if the respondent asks to need to reschedule. Have your availability in front of you. Be sure that you can call exactly on time to start the interview.

Starting the Interview “Hello, I’m _____, a graduate student from the University of Washington Nutritional Sciences Program.” “We’re working with the King County Board of Health to learn about school nutrition policies in King County school districts. We sent you a letter about this and scheduled an interview with you today. Is this still a good time for you?”

Assurance of Confidentiality “Anything you tell us will be confidential. The report to the BOH committee will not include information about individual respondents or single school districts.”

During the Interview Anticipate possible questions and have responses ready. Don’t offer your own opinion or experiences. Use non-committal responses to show you are listening. Keep the interview on track, and cover all topics. Remain polite, calm, flexible. Ask questions if a response is not clear. Write down specific quotes of interest.

At the End of the Interview Scan your notes to see if you need any further clarification. Thank the respondent for their time and insight. Tell respondents that the report to the BOH committee will be posted at the class web site.

After the Interview Review your notes. Add comments, details or clarifications. Add notes about anything that distracted from the interview. Re-write if needed for others on the team to read. Reflect about what went well, how else you might have handled anything that came up.

Scheduling & Conducting Interviews with Very Busy People Positive and Persistent vs. Pushy Practice your introduction, be prepared to answer questions about the project. Secretary/Administrative Assistant as gatekeeper-your best friend in scheduling Be as available and flexible as possible- early morning or late afternoon may be best times-even weekends. Be punctual-call on time. Expect cancellations-be prepared to send materials again. Don’t take anything personally-these are really busy people!

Plan for Challenges….Examples from the Field o You call a superintendant of a large district for your scheduled phone call, but find out that one of the district’s high schools is in lock down because somebody brought a gun to school and the superintendant's secretary tells you that the superintendent can't take the call right now. o The nutritional services administrator expresses frustration when you ask about the official school policies because she feels that they are doing the right thing for kids without policies. She seems to be offended about the whole concept of policies that determine what foods she can offer to students

…more challenges from the field o The Health and Fitness Curriculum Coordinator for the district actually is a classroom teacher with added responsibilities but no release time or financial compensation for the extra work as a coordinator. The coordinator resents being asked to do the survey by the superintendent and just gives very short answers, or says "don't know" to most of the questions. o You ask the Health and Fitness Curriculum Coordinator about successes in implementing the Nutrition Education curriculum. She is extremely enthusiastic and begins to talk about how much weight she’s lost, which vitamins she’s taking, and how her husband used to eat Fruit Loops for breakfast and how he eats oatmeal every day and then she begins talking about her children's’ eating habits….

..and a couple more.. o You are put on hold, waiting to speak with the Superintendent at the scheduled interview time-which has been rescheduled twice now. When he comes on the phone, he says that he has 15 minutes and didn’t receive any materials ahead of time. o You are following your interview script and begin asking the nutrition services coordinator about specific standards and her perception of how often they are followed (never, sometimes, always, N/A). She begins to explain in great detail why certain ones aren’t followed. Your script doesn’t specifically ask for reasons, what do you do?

Practice Interview Questions