EDS 102 – WEEK 5

May 1, 2025

Upcoming quiz preview - May 13

• Review textbook chapters 5 and 6
• Some topics to pay attention to:
• Different types of interviews
• Different types of interview questions
• When to use observational methods
• Advice on how to conduct interviews and observations
• The role of the observer in a setting

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• Practice mentimenter

Agenda

• Asking good questions
• Practice interviewing
• Looking ahead

Gathering Interview Data

A research interview is a conversation that has a structure and a purpose

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Researchers use interviews:

• When we cannot observe human behavior, feelings, or interpretations
• To collect data from people representing a range of ideas
• In some cases, it is the only way to get data on a topic

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Interviews can range in structure

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• Structured: Questions and the order in which they are asked are predetermined.

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• Semi-structured (most common): Questions and issues are set, but wording and order of questions are not

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• Unstructured: Nothing is set ahead of time.

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Question types that can be useful in eliciting information

Asking good questions

Good questions are open-ended, worded in ways that are clear and familiar to the respondent, and yield descriptive data and stories.

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• Can you think of a time when….?
• What was it like for you when….?
• If I was in your classroom, what might I see…?
• Give me an example of…
• Tell me more about that...

Question types to avoid

Multiple questions

“How did you feel about the pandemic, the support you received from the university, and how your friends were doing?”

Leading questions

“What problems have you had with your roommates?”

Yes or no questions

“Do you like UCSD?”

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Beginning the Interview

Issues to discuss with the participant at beginning of every interview:

• The study purpose
• Consent and ethical assurances (e.g., participant has signed consent form, data will be held confidential and respondents’ identities will be replaced with pseudonyms, compensation, if any)
• Expected duration of interview
• The recording can be stopped at any time if the participant wishes

Ending the interview

• End with an open-ended question (e.g., is there anything else I should know about…?) or a reflective question (e.g., do you have advice for someone who…?)

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• Thank the participant

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• Ask if they have any questions for you

Sample interviews

Let’s watch the beginning and end of this mock interviews featuring Lea Hubbard (USD) and Mimi Lockton (UCSD). What do you notice?

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Interview

Conducting an Effective Interview

• Be sure the number of questions can be answered within the time frame
• Start with easy, neutral questions (e.g., how long have you been a teacher?)
• Word questions in language clear to the respondent.
• Know enough about the topic to ask meaningful questions
• Manage your time
• Jot questions in the margins to remind yourself of topics to follow up on

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Interviewing tips

• Use probes. Probes are questions or comments that follow up something already asked in order to obtain more details. Could be who/what/when/where or “tell more more” questions or could be more specific. Example:
• Main question: Tell me about your experience searching for off-campus housing while at UCSD.
• Participant responds with: “It was challenging!”
• Probes could address location, expense, transportation, availability, etc.
• Pilot your interview. Piloting means trying the interview with someone who is not a study participant before the actual study begins.

Example: Interview questions from Bjorklund’s (2021) dissertation on pre-service and early career teachers

Tell me the story of how you decided to become a teacher.

• What prompted that decision?
• Can you describe any experiences with teaching prior to entering the program?
• Were there other occupations that you had an interest in pursuing/or did before you decided to become a teacher? If yes, why didn’t you pursue/continue in those professions?

Who or what do you think has had the biggest influence on your choice to become a teacher? Explain.

Similarly, who or what has had the most influence on the type of teacher you want to become? Explain.

Can you describe how your family/close friends feel about your decision to become a teacher?

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Example: Three-Year State Leadership Study

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Research Questions

Across diverse state contexts, how does research-practice partnership (RPP) engagement improve the use of existing research evidence among state education agency (SEA) leaders whose work focuses on multilingual learner (ML) policy and practice?

• How do structural, cultural, and political dimensions of state leaders’ work mediate SEA leaders’ use of existing research evidence?
• How do RPP practices and tools support SEA leaders in leveraging research as they navigate their unique state contexts?
• What research evidence do SEA leaders use to enable shifts from compliance to transformation in ML policy and practice, and how?

Example: Three-Year State Leadership Study

Example Interview Protocol - New Members in Year 3

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Example Interview Protocol - Returning Members in Year 3

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Also for reference:

Example Meeting Observation Protocol

Sample interview

Let’s listen to this interview between Hayley Weddle (Pitt) and a state education agency leader who works in multilingual learner education. What do you notice?

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Interview

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Interview Protocol - Returning Members in Year 3

Partner activity

1. Review your draft research question. To inform that question, write down 3 or more interview questions you could ask for your proposed study. You will also need to decide who to interview.

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• Share them with a partner and try asking them aloud

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• Rewrite questions that need to be revised based on their feedback.

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• Complete activity sheet on Canvas

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Add your favorite question to the Padlet

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Looking ahead

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For class on May 6

Topic - Collecting observational data

Read: Chapter 6 - Merriam and Tisdell

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In class on May 13: Reading check #2 (Quiz) on Chapters 5 and 6

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Research Proposal Part II due May 26

• Develop a list of approximately 10 high-quality interview questions for interviewees who will participate in the study.