A topic in research methodology
Interviews are a class of data collection techniques, that are used in a wide range of research designs, within different research methodologies.
Interviews are special types of conversations, and sometimes they simply comprise the researcher and the participant talking.
However, some interviews are based around some kind of task. Activities may be used to engage participants, to offer exemplification of potentially abstract ideas, to elicit implicit knowledge or thinking (i.e., aspects of cognition not open to direct reflection – that occur 'beneath the surface'), or because the researcher is especially interested in the participant' ideas about the focus of the activity.
Often the task is to comment on something offered as a focus, perhaps to make some evaluation.
Examples include:
Interview-about-instances
In interview-about-instances the research participant is shown a series of images (usually, it could be objects, or it could be listening to snippets of audio) and the task is to suggest whether each ficus is, or is not, an instance of (something), an to explain why. The something could be 'classrooms', 'injustice', 'beauty', 'dialogue' and so on, according to the purposes of the study.
Interview-about-events
Interview-about-events is a variation on the interview-about-instances technique, but the participant is asked about some dynamic event which is demonstrated. So, for example, a learner might be shown some event and asked if it is an instance of a chemical reaction, and why they think so. So here manipulative materials instead of a series of images or other fixed foci.
Interview-about-scenarios
Another variation is interview-about-scenarios, where the foci are narrative (or pictures representing) particular situations, where the learner can be asked where the situation depicted represents an example of 'fairness' or 'bullying' or 'cheating' or 'excellence' or whatever.
Suitable interview questions
In these types of studies it may be sensible not to begin by asking directly about the focal idea. Non-leading questions should be used to explore the participant's thinking about the foci:
- What is going on here?
- Do you see anything interesting here?
- What do you notice here?
- [Only then] Would you consider this an example of? (Why?)
A 'hierarchical focusing' approach may be taken to the sequencing of interview questions.
Related techniques
A specific related technique is the construct repertory test activity, the 'method of triads' used to elicit people's constructs of the world. This presents three foci at once and asks the participants to discriminate them into two that are more closely alike and one which is a contrast.
Read about the construct repertory test
Other techniques include think aloud or talk aloud, although this could better be considered an observational technique, as the participants is asked to carry out an activity (e.g., marking an examination paper) whilst talking through their reasoning. Often this will be followed by an interview based on the observations made.
Read about the 'think aloud' technique
A focus group is another associated technique, that is best considered an observation, as a group are given a task (such as a dissuasion activity) to work on collaboratively, whilst the researcher observes and records. In practice some focus groups may have more direct interviewer interjection (hopefully by design, and not a lack of researcher self-control!) and may start to be more like interviews.
My introduction to educational research:
Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
