Variations Phone interviews, where the interviewer fills in the responses as they come over the wire still allows prompting and 'real-
Variations Phone interviews, where the interviewer fills in the responses as they come over the wire still allows prompting and 'real-
time' interaction. Online interviews, either using Web-forms or just through email. Here some structure is essential with an introductory
paragraph if agreement not already obtained before sending. What is lost in 'immediacy' might be balanced by 'reflection', Other Relevant Pages
with a two-shot message circulating feedback and seeking further comments. Recipes
Tape interviews (Lockwood) sometimes useful to use different methods with exactly the same questions as the responses Questionnaires
do differ for different modes. Checklists
Self-recorded audio taped interviews, where the respondent is sent a list of questions or issues and asked to record responses Designing, experiments
Trials at a suitable time (perhaps at the end of a course of study) is an unusual, but workable, alternative.
Focus groups The above, and the obvious corollary of the 'paper interview' shows that the line between interviews and open questionnaires Information Pages
blurs at the edges... Transcribing
Interviewing Student sample Pedagogic toolkit Isolation or integration Working with groups
Serving suggestions References
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When you are carrying out interviews, focus groups and discussions it is important to keep a record of what was said for future transcription, reference or analysis. The method you use will depend on how much detail you require.
Keeping written notes: Taking notes as you go along can be a useful way of gauging
general opinion and the time taken to stop and take notes can be a useful way of giving breathing space during the discussion. However, trying to keep the discussion going and keep an accurate record of everything said can prove to
be an almost impossible task. Taping your session:
The easiest way to keep a record of a discussion, is to tape your session. However, it is important to make sure that you have your participants permission to tape their interview. In addition, let them know exactly why you are carrying out this exercise and what you are planning to do with the information. You might also like to let the participants see any transcriptions that you are planning to use.
Sometimes students can feel awkward about the idea of being taped so you might start by having some general conversation at the beginning of your session in order to get them accustomed to talking with a tape recorder running.
Hiding a tape-recorder and recording secretly might seem to be a good tactic to help keep your participants relaxed, but apart from the obvious ethical problems this raises, it also means that legitimately, you cant make use of any of information you collect.
Setting up the taping equipment: Make sure that you are familiar with using the equipment
and that everything is working OK before you start. It can
be very disruptive to a session, if you have to spend the first
15 minutes trying to get the tape recorder to work. Batteries in the tape recorder or tapes running out can also mean that you lose important sections of a discussion.
Having a good microphone is probably more important than having a good tape recorder. Constant hissing on a tape or just having indistinct mumbling can cause all sorts of problems when transcribing. Placing a microphone on a soft surface such as foam or a piece of carpet can help to improve sound quality and a flat microphone can also appear less intrusive.
Most microphones built into recorders have a restricted range and if you are working with a group of people, you could find that you miss one or two peoples contributions because they are just out of range. If you are working with
a group, try to make sure that they are an equal distance from the microphone and if you cant get hold of an omni- directional microphone try and use a second one.
Recording progress: It is often a good idea to try and give your groups a feel of
their progress during the session. This can be done through using a spray diagram or flip chart to record ideas as you go along. Visual methods can be more effective than a list of points. They also have the benefit of focusing discussion and ensuring you are accurately interpreting what is being said as any misconceptions can be corrected there and then. In addition, when an idea is represented in this way it becomes separated from the individual who put it forward and therefore it becomes easier for the other group members to criticise or disagree with its content. As part of your exercise, you could also ask your groups to summarise the main points of the discussion.