STUDY IMPLEMENTATION Day 2 - Session 5 Interview guides and tips for effective strategies

Stages of a Study 1.Protocol Development 2.Planning 3.Implementation 4.Data Management and Analysis 5.Planning and Assessing Data Use

Session Objectives  List at least three key interviewing techniques  Ask interview questions in a way to maximize what the informant(s) think, feel, believe about a given topic

A Note about Qualitative Methods  As a reminder, qualitative methods are used to understand how/why something is happening.  The purpose is to explore with participants what their experiences are and to understand the phenomena under study.

Essential Elements of Qualitative Methods  Establishing rapport  Using effective communication strategies  Actively listening  Probing fully  Not introducing your own opinions and bias into the study  Working with challenging participants/group dynamics

Rapport  The sense of mutual trust and harmony that characterizes a good relationship  Rapport involves a comfortable atmosphere and a mutual understanding of the purpose of the interview  Conveys acceptance, understanding and respect for the respondent

Rapport  Find a comfortable place  Find a private place  Sit at the same level and face the respondent(s)  Avoid distractions; turn off cell phones, and give participants your full attention  Establish a level of comfort by asking a few general questions

Effective Communication  Do not use slang terms, technical terms, acronyms  Check with the respondent to make sure he/she understands you.  Define words if necessary

Active listening When you listen actively you will:  Help the person feel as though his/her ideas are important.  Gain a better understanding of the person’s concerns or experiences.

Verbal active listening  Repeat or rephrase what the person has said.  Ask if what you are repeating/rephrasing represents what they are saying.  Connect points to something said earlier.  Ask for clarification if you are not sure of what was meant.

Non-verbal listening Maintain open and receptive body language Maintain eye contact Nod when appropriate Smile

Probing  A technique used to get respondents to provide more information.  Done after asking the initial question – trying to follow up on information provided in that response.  One of the most important techniques to learn in qualitative data collection.

Probing Techniques  What questions  Silent probe – give respondents time to answer  Uh, huh probe  Tell me more about that  Summarize what informant said (Echo probe) and ask if anything to add

Probing 1. What are the different types of program decisions that are made in your organization?  Probe: For example, there may be decisions related to where to provide HIV prevention services, how to allocate resources, or plan for new activities. How are decisions like these made in your organization?  Probe: Who is involved in the decision-making process?  Probe: What sources of information do you think they rely on to make decisions?

Working with challenging participants/group dynamics  Challenges  Silent  Digressive  Asks interviewer for his/her opinions  Argumentative  Strategies  Get them talking  Stay focused, bring them back to topic  Stay positive, ask them to explain their thoughts, acknowledge opinions

Document the interview Capture what was said and have a reliable data source for analysis Transcription Field Notes Interview Notes Record information about the actual interview and how useful it is for your purpose Interview summary

Taking Field Notes  During the interview  Write down key words, phrases in shorthand  Immediately after interview finished  Fill in gaps and complete notes  Record thoughts on quality of interview, overall content of what was discussed  Data quality checks

Activity 3: Interview Practice  Split into small groups of 3-5  Use interview guide(s) provided  Select one person as interviewer, one as informant, and one observer  Interviewer – practice asking questions, probing as much as possible  Informant – answer the questions  Observer – take notes of how the interview went (30 mins)  Switch roles (30-40 mins)

Report Back  What did you learn?  Observers  Informants  Interviewers  40 mins.

MEASURE Evaluation is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Views expressed in this presentation do not necessarily represent the views of USAID, PEPFAR or the U.S. government. MEASURE Evaluation is implemented by the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partnership with Futures Group, ICF International, John Snow, Inc., Management Sciences for Health, and Tulane University.