The Peacock Report - Design

The Peacock Reportinterview types

Asking the right question (what do I want to know)with clarity of intention(why do I think it’s important)of the right people(genuinely interested in the research and desire to act on it)to gather meaningful informationin an ethical context(what meaning is revealed to create change).

This is a redesign of the Peacock Report, a researcher’s guide to inter-view types. Challenging and variableas they are, a complete dissection ofinterviews would be too formulaic. This monogram invites you to consider the possibilities of the unpredictable.

1 the peacock report: interview types

Observation 3 Face to Face 7Focus Group 11Oral History 15

Types of Interview Questions 19Sequencing of Questions 20The Development of Questions 21Before, During & After 22

At a Glance 23

references

the peacock report: interview types 2

what is best done is less a case of what is established as right than of what your judgment tells you is fitting”

glesne, 2006, p. 50

{Observation Interviews}

Have to stay long enough to reach understanding.

The more the researcher functions as a member of the world they are studying the more you risk losingthe eye of the uninvolved; and the greater your participation the more potential for learning.

“


advantages disadvantages

Make meaning—understand context. May capture more than is relevant.Assist in developing interview questions. Feeling overwhelmed by amount.Helps keep you out of the limelight. Subjective dispositions can limit.Allows you to be broad or specific. Particular types of observation mayMultiple realities can be revealed. limit context and lose the value of participation.

how to menu of options or combinations

Observation Notes Artifacts and documentsField Journals Archives—librariesDrawings, photographs VideoDiagrams Analytical & Autobiographical notes


Continuum of observationto participation—researcher through observation falls in any number of places along that continuum.

Glense, 2006

face to face interviews enable the researcher to learn about what you don’t know, can’t see and explore other explanations for what you do see and hear. You will find unintend-ed learning emerges from unexpected turns in the interview dialogues.

{Face to Face Interviews}

Participant values, concerns, needs, and motives arise in their answers to interview questions. The researcher has to unravel the interview to make sense of the answers and may find that new questions replace estab-lished ones. This is “the more likely and more ideal…in qualitative inquiry”

glense, 2006, p. 79



Deep understanding of skills, ways, life. Time consuming & rework.Go directly to intentions of research. Ambiguity may be unsettling.Rich data for interpretation and action. Lack of meaningful data if unskilled.People typically want to talk. Ethical—personal issues—power.Clarify confusion immediately. Cost of going to and back.Relationships are developed—long term. Relationships are strained or lost.High response rate. Loss of control of interview.


Structured Interview Life HistoryUnstructured Interview Topical InterviewsSemi-structured VideoOral Histories Single—multiple interviews (occasions & people)


Interviewers are listeners incarnate; machines can record, but only you can listen…because without the data your

listening furnishes, you cannot make any of the decisions inherent in interviewing.

Glense, 2006, p. 92

unless the participants are going to run the focus group them-selves, trying to facilitate, keep an accurate record and actively listenis a big challenge.

{Focus Group Interviews}



Number and diversity of participants. Majority can silence dissenter.Expression of multiple perspectives. Inclusion and exclusion of groups.Less time and more efficient. Can be difficult to facilitate.Internet technologies available. Ethical and authentic issues.Choices of real time and non real time. Control and direction.Anonymity. Confidentiality.High response rate. Not as in depth in topic of research.


Structured Large groups & subgroupsUnstructured Many or few questionsInternet real time Video—Recording DevicesInternet non real time Second level data gathering purpose


The test for whether or not to use focus group interviews is: “to ask how actively and easily the participants would discuss the topic of interest”.

Glesne, 2006, cites Morgan, 1997, p. 102.

your research questions formul-ate what you want to understand; your interview questions are what you ask people in order to gain that understanding”

{Oral History Interviews}

There are two types of oral histories: (a) oral history practiced by Aboriginal peoples inNorth America, (b) the his-tory imparted by sharing informationthat may otherwise be forgotten and make it available for future genera-tions. “Oral history is consequently seen by many as ‘an interview tech-nique with a mission’.

maxwell, 1996 as cited in glesne, 2006, p. 81

palys, 2003, p. 165

glense, 2006, p. 79

“



Capture something never recorded. Seen as inefficient method.Can fill in the gaps to other research. Unlikely as a single method.Appeals to feminist researchers. Viewed as unreliable.Can rectify imbalance in history archives. Ethical and authentic issues.Honor significant events, culture, history. Risk creating imbalance.


Structured Video—Voice Recording Unstructured Journals—Diaries—Photo AlbumsIndividual Group Account


Oral history interviews focus on events, ways of life that may be changing and life history interviews inform us about life experiences of one or more people.

In the telling of oral history and life experiences respondents reveal opinions, perceptions and attitudes that may reveal cultural patterns.

Glesne, 2006

behavioral—Question asks what person has done or is currently doing.

opinion / Value—Question asks what a person thinks about a particular topic.

feeling—Question asks how a person is feeling.

knowledge—Question asks factual information about a particular topic.

sensory—Question asks what people have seen, touched, heard, tasted or smelled.

background / demographics—Age, education, birthplace etc.

{Types of Interview Questions}


{Sequencing of Questions}

Get respondents involved in the interview as soon as possible.Ask factual based questions first be-fore moving on to more complicated controversial questions. Periodically ask fact based questions throughout the course of the interview.

Ask questions about the present before asking questions about the past or future. The last question should allow the respondent to provide any additional information about the topic they wish to add and a comment on their experience of the interview.


What is it that I really need to know? Brainstorm / write down a list of things you are hoping to find out.

Create a series of sample questions, paying close attention to the language being used.

Do not used ambiguous terms or wording or any language that could be construed as offensive to the interviewee.

{The Development of Questions}

It is good interview practice to start off with a Grand tour question, asking the interviewee a question that he/she can easily answer. Ex: What is your occupation?

Suppositional questions work well to prepare the interviewee for the upcoming question content. Ex: “I am now going to ask you about ……..”


Before, During & Afterpreparation for interview

Choose an appropriate setting with the least amount of distraction.

Explain the purposeof the interview.

Address terms of confidentiality.

Explain the format.

Indicate how long the interview will take. Provide contact information of the interviewer.

Allow interviewee to clarify any doubts about the interview.

Prepare a method for recording data.

Occasionally verify the tape recorder (if used ) is working.

Ask one question at a time. Attempt to remain as neutral as possible.

Encourage responses.

Be careful about the appearance when note taking.

Provide transition between major topics.

Don’t lose control of the interview.

Verify if the tape recorder, if used, worked throughout the interview.

Make any notes on your written notes.

Write down any obser-vations made during the interview.

{At a glance}


face to face

advantages

The best response rate.

Can collect a lot of data quickly.

Easiest way to reach some populations.

Can be longer than some other types.

Better for complex information and sensitive issues.

Researcher can pay attention to non-verbal behaviour.

Researcher can respond to questions & clarify ambiguities.

Researcher can tell who completes the survey.

Can be focused for all people in an area or designed for special population groups.

disadvantages

Most expensive.

Takes more time to complete.

Misinterpreted questions &non-responses are often not caught untilit is too late.

May need a list of members of population.

Literacy is requiredto complete.

Vocabulary must be appropriate for a full range of participants (Grade 6 level).

Researcher’s datais limited to what’s on the paper

Write down any observations made during the interview.

internet

advantages

Fast to implementat a low cost.

No physical boundaries because location is irrelevant.

Participants are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Enormous growth in technology and user ability.

Complete anonymity for participants (can also be a disadvan-tage).

Better response to open-ended questions compared to mail-outs.

Can be longer with more in-depthquestions.

Better forcomplex forms.

Respondents can complete on their own time and reflection is possible.

Good way to get a heterogeneous sample.

Personal safety issues.

disadvantages

Limited to people who have or know how to use computers.

Could have a response bias (only literate users).

Need a list of email addresses.

Needs to be simple questions because the researcher cannot clarify ambiguities.

Researcher cannot pay attention to non-verbal behaviour.

Researcher cannot tell whether the intended respondent actually completed the survey.

Researcher’s data is limited to what’s on the paper.

telephone

advantages

Relatively inexpensive.

Most widely used; quick to complete.

Effective when timelines are tight and the length of the survey is limited.

98.5% of Canadians have telephones.

Random Digit Dialing (RDD) is common.

Can also be done strategically from selected area codes.


Can be monitored for “quality control”.

Better response rate than mail or email because they are more personal.

disadvantages

Survey can not be very long.

Limited to simple questions so they are limited in scope.

Cannot use questions with multiple alternative responses (max. 4-5).

Limited to people with listed numbers; also some numbers are not in service.

Cannot identify particular groups of respondents.


15 minute maximum.

Becoming more diffi-cult due to call display, answering machines and screening.

Participants may be skeptical because they have no verification of validity.

mail out

advantages

Can cover a large area for the cost of postage.

Anonymity is maximized.

Respondents can complete on their own time and reflec-tion is possible.

Good way to get a heterogeneous sample.

Can target particular groups.

Survey can be longer with more in-depth questions.


disadvantages

Usually low response rates (<20%).

May take weeks to get responses.

Low response rate may lead to biased sample.


Cannot tell whether the intended respondent actually completed the survey.

Need a list of addresses.

Literacy is required to complete.

Needs to be simple questions because the researcher cannot clarify ambiguities.

Open-ended questions are often ignored.

Researcher’s datais limited to what’s on the paper.

references

Glesne, C. (2006). Becoming qualitative researchers: an introduction (3rd ed). Toronto, ON: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon

Palys, T. (2003). Research decision: quantitativeand qualitative perspectives (3rd ed). Scarborough, ON: Thomson Nelson

Stringer, E.T. (1999). Action Research (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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The Peacock Report - Design