Interviewing What do you know about interviewing? Chairs Body language Open and closed questions Recording or note taking Venue Anonymity Confidentiality Sensitivity Accessibility

Questions- De Groot, Elisabeth (2002) ‘Learning Through Interviewing: Students and Teachers Talk About Learning and Schooling’ Educational psychologist 37: 1 41 -52 What is the general advantage to interviewing as a qualitative approach to inquiry? Explain the main differences and the purpose to the three types of interviewing put forward in the article? When would you use which type? What might be some of the advantages of using focus groups that would resonate with your own contexts?

Consider which approach to interviewing might best fit your own enquiry and explain why? What about your own role as an interviewer?

Write a paragraph justiying your choice of method- if it is interviewing state which type and justify why Critique your choice- what are the disadvantages/ what other methods could you have used? Use the article to scaffold your own answers Peer assess…..

Now add a paragraph about your own role in the research- teacher researcher….. What about your sample? How will you justify their selection? Peer assess……

Interviewing: Active Listening

Reliability and validity Trustworthy is questioned by positivists Validity- does the research really measure what it was intended to measure? Therefore, is it truthful? Reliability- are the results consistent over time? If the results were to be reproduced using a similar methodology then the research instrument is reliable

Validity-checks Rigour; are the research methods used the most appropritae for the task? Why? Interviews recorded accurately using words and phrases of the participants Not imposing your own meaning- use of open ended questions which allow participants to elaborate on answers Clarity of questions/ lack of jargon Getting rid of bias Reactivity threat- how much the data is influenced by your presence/ setting.

Active listening techniques A key interview skill More than just ‘paying attention’

Carl Rogers: the humanistic approach to listening Directing all of your attention and awareness to the speaker Three conditions: Congruence Unconditional positive regard [Bracketing] Empathic understanding

Carl Rogers (1): Congruence Realness – genuineness – not putting-up a professional front or personal façade- ‘What you see is what you get.’ Congruence conveys the message that it is not only permissible but desirable to be oneself. If you are going to say ‘this is me- take it or leave it’ you need to ensure that you have searched, acknowledged and dealt with your own prejudices. How do we do this…?

Carl Rogers (2): Unconditional positive regard Total acceptance – cherishing – suspending judgement – bracketing Ensuring that you have searched, acknowledged and dealt with your own prejudices Creates conditions where speaker is more able to feel safe to explore the issue in depth.

Carl Rogers (2): Unconditional positive regard Leads towards deeper exploration Leads towards deeper critical reflection and questioning of one’s own assumptions and ways of making sense of the world

Carl Rogers (3): Empathic understanding To track and sense accurately the ideas, feelings and personal meanings of the speaker. ‘Walk a mile in their shoes.’ ‘Put yourself in their position.’ To learn what it feels like to be in the speaker’s skin and to perceive the world as she perceives it. What is more, she is able to communicate to the speaker this sensitive acceptant understanding

‘If …. you can learn a simple trick… ‘If ….you can learn a simple trick….you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’ Atticus Finch; ‘To kill a mocking bird’

Active listening: the ‘listener’ A chance to try to put into effect the three core conditions for active listening: congruence; unconditional positive regard; and empathic understanding To facilitate insight To create the conditions for learning and deep critical reflection

Active listening: The ‘listener’ Some don’ts … Don’t give your opinions – bracket them (allowable passing thoughts) Don’t judge Don’t try to fix it Don’t try to problem solve Don’t offer solutions Just listen

Active listening: Stages Silent: adjusting, acclimatising, settling, tuning-in Focused and actively listening – begins to acknowledge with verbal nods (‘mm’, ‘right’, ‘ok’) Attentive silences When you feel genuinely prompted to do so, reflect what you’ve heard

Active listening At an appropriate moment, reframe what you’ve heard and check that you’ve understood, ‘It seems that …’; ‘It’s looks as if …’ As you begin to move towards ending, summarise what you’ve heard, again, checking assumptions

Active listening Invite speaker to respond to your summarising, a last chance for accurately expressing what is felt

Active listening Silence Discuss: Verbal nods Reflect Reframe Summarise Check back and let the speaker have the last word Discuss: What is your dissertation going to be about? 3 minutes

Active listening For the speaker, reflect: To what extent did you feel listened to, heard and understood? Did you manage to shed light on the situation? To what extent did you learn something which informs practice and will bring about change?

Active listening For the listener, reflect: To what extent did you feel you were able to put into practice the three core conditions: Congruence Unconditional positive regard Empathic understanding?

Active listening Silence Discuss: Verbal nods Reflect Reframe Summarise Check back and let the speaker have the last word Discuss: What methods do you intend to use? 3 minutes

Do try this at home…