6. Interview- what is it? It is a qualitative method where you collect what people say (from your sample) in order to use it as evidence. Its advantage is that you “can follow up on ideas, probe responses and investigate motives and feelings” (Bell, 2005, p.157). You can ask the why questions… It is an occasion to gather information ‘for the record’, with a specific agenda set out by the researcher, it is not just a conversation (Denscombe,2007). When it is processed, the evidence from the interview will provide data for your research.
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8. Number of people in the interview can vary One to one - allows the participant to think through their in-depth responses and cover confidential or personal information Group - like a one to one but allows you to see more people at once and might help people think through the questions during the process Focus Groups - allows the interaction of group members to look at the topic, can sometimes go off in unexpected directions (focus groups are used a lot in Marketing)
9. The one-to-one interview process (Image courtesy of beewebhead on Flickr obtained from MIT open access website)
10. Sampling – choosing who to interview There are a number of different ways to design a sampling frame and this will depend on your approach and access. Match your methods to your research problem and work-based learning project. For example: Purposive - choosing people who can answer the questions using defined criteria (qualitative) Representative - selection of the sample population (quantitative and mixed - i.e. the interviews might follow a survey) more ‘scientific’ - using a version of probability or non-probability sampling
15. Thinking about the setting required Your choice of setting, public or private, depends on the situation.
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17. Doing the interview Be punctual and have all handouts ready (Consent form, questionnaires, etc.). Arrange the surroundings, i.e. the seating and recording devices, so that the participant is comfortable. With focus groups you may want to have everyone identify themselves first so that you can identify their voice - these are more difficult to transcribe. It is important that the participant is supported in the process and that you also engage with them in a professional manner BUT that you come away from the interview with the evidence that you need for your inquiry
18. Focus Groups - the setting Researcher Gatekeeper Recording devices Actual seating arrangement for a recent focus group in which Paula took part.
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21. Troubleshooting Cancelled appointments - situations change in the workplace - so you must plan for changes and contingencies (Plan A, Plan B). Getting people to send you documents if they do not have them to hand. Working with children and parents’ permission Working with people you know at work Getting the details for additional participants for the research project - non-probability snowballing or signposting…
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