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Week 6

Essential Question: What are the most important things to remember in conducting interviews? (Infographic)

Conducting interviews is an excellent way to generate qualitative data. The interview process allows us to have a one-on-one conversation, in which students can articulate their thoughts. This can help us get a better idea about how we can serve our students.

Through my research on this topic I found many sources that said the most important part of conducting an interview is to be prepared. In order to get the best results it is imperative that you do research about your topic beforehand. This will allow you to have prepared questions and possibly follow-up questions ready that can allow you to get the most out of the interview. “Don't count on your memory to recall their answers. Ask for permission to record the interview or bring along someone to take notes” (Mcnamara, 2019). It is necessary that you bring along the tools to record and take notes so that you can go back when compiling the information from the interview.

In addition to the proper tools, it is important that you choose a setting with few distractions so that everyone can be providing their undivided attention to the interview. This is important for a couple different reasons. First of all, “The good listener hears good quotes” (Interviewing Principles, 2001). More importantly, we can show that we respect the person we are interviewing by actively listening to what they have to say. This in turn can help build a good rapport and lead to a more relaxed and authentic interview. 

As I mentioned earlier, it is important to prepare the questions ahead of time. But it is also important to organize the questions in a way that will help the interviewee feel comfortable and ease into the interview. Susan Verner (2011) explained that we should start with informational questions that will be easier for your students to answer, and will essentially serve as an ice-breaker. After the student finds confidence by answering a couple of these questions you can move on to more understanding types of questioning. After the students begin to expand on these questions, they will be ready to start explaining their knowledge on more difficult and opinion-based questions. In addition to the organization of the questions, you should also consider the format of the questions. It is helpful to ask open-ended questions in order to get unique and thoughtful answers. The answers to these questions will give you the real insight into how the interviewee is thinking. 

There are many other tips and tricks out there for conducting successful interviews, but they all really fall under the category of being prepared. If you are prepared, you can be flexible and generate the best information from your students. 


Resources:
Interviewing Principles (2001). Interviewing Principles. Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/edit/MencherIntv1.html

Mcnamara, C. (2019). General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews. Retrieved from https://managementhelp.org/businessresearch/interviews.htm

Verner, S. (2011, September 8). Can We Talk? Conducting and Using Interviews in the ESL Classroom. Retrieved from https://busyteacher.org/6367-can-we-talk-conducting-and-using-interviews-in.html

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