Recap

• Data collection tools?– Journals– Field notes– Photographs– Minutes– Lesson plans– Other documents

A thought about observations…

From Eleanor Roosevelt:“ Perhaps the most essential thing for a

continuing education is to develop the capacity to know what you see and to understand what it means…

As an example many years ago (I was) asked to check on conditions in department stores. I made my report. It was valueless.

“But,” I was asked,” do these women have any stools to sit on behind the counter when they are not waiting on customers or must they stand all day?”

For years I had gone to department stores, I had seen women behind counters. It had never occurred to me that perhaps they could never sit down and rest. I hadn’t looked. And if I had looked, I would not have understood what it meant until someone else pointed out its meaning.

When I began…actually to look around me and to try to understand the meaning of what I saw, everything I encountered became more interesting and more valuable. It was like a two-dimensional picture seen in three-dimensions, with depth.”

Moral

• Much to take in during observations (teacher/students/content/interactions…)

• Focus on gathering information for your question

• But, keep your eyes open for things you might not have anticipated

• Don’t have tunnel vision• E.g.—good and bad with science teacher

What we hope to do tonight:

Continue with methodology:• Interviewing

Interviewing

• 3 main structures• Structured: follow interview guide/protocol

closely• Semi-structured: deviation from the

guide/protocol is permitted to follow different avenues that come up or remove questions already answered

• Unstructured: no script; conversational; generally not used

Set UpsIndividual and Focus Groups

• Pros of Groups– Less time– Encourages ideas

(brainstorming)– Puts interviewees at

ease– Natural groups

• Cons of Groups– Restrained– Mimic what others state

v. sharing own thoughts– Need to facilitate to

avoid monopolizing– Harder to transcribe

Writing the Questions

1. Want questions focused on the topic but broad

2. Try out questions – pilot themDo subjects understand the vocabularyDo they understand the questionAre you getting the type of information you needCan you probe

3. Think about the number of questions4. Do you need any demographic information5. Be guided by the literature in writing your

own interview protocol

Prior to the Interview

• Let people know what you’ll be talking about in general

• Provide questions?• Set up a convenient time/place

During the interviewBasics

• Small talk first• Interact as an equal• Assure confidentiality• Don’t interrupt• Allow wait time/permit pauses• Don’t be judgmental• Don’t complete the thoughts

• Don’t suggest a particular response or encourage or dissuade answers (e.g. soap survey)

• Explore person’s answers– How/what do you mean?– Could you tell me more about that?– What do you have in mind?– Why do you feel that way?– Anything else?

Aids

• Recording• Typed questions• Take notes as you go• Manipulatives, if needed, to aid in clarification

After the interview

• Do field notes asap• Include perceptions, descriptions,

observations about what happened • Like Eifler field notes in text

http://www.mind-mapping.co.uk/assets/examples/MM---Int-Skills.gif

Private UniverseFocus on types of questions/questioning sklls

Debrief Private Universe

• Value of the interview• Could you get students’ thoughts from a test?• Pointers from the interviewer?

Our Research Question

How do you manage the increased workload of doing a Master’s degree while working full time?

Our Question

• At your table groups, come up with 3-5 interview questions we might use to get data for our research question.