A Structure for In-Depth, Phenomenological Interviewing

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A Structure for In-Depth, Phenomenological
Interviewing

• Group 3
• Name 9310002A Joshua 9310004A Emily
• 9310012A Daniel 9310020A Zoe
• 9310038A Lydia
• Instructor Mavis Shang

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Survey interviews with

• Preset
• Standardized
• Normally closed questions

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• The primarily way of interview is open-ended
  questions.
• The major task is to explore the participants
  responses to those questions.
• The goal is to have the participant reconstruct
  his or her experience within the topic under
  study.

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The three-interview series

• Focused Life History
• The Details of Experience
• Reflection on the Meaning

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Interview one Focused Life
History

• The task is to put the participants experiences
  in context by asking them as mush as possible
  about their experiences according to the topic.

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Interview Two The Details of Experience

• Purpose to focus on the concrete details of the
  participants experience
• Ex. dialogue journal writing
• ? ask the participants what they do on the
  process
• (ask their experiences rather than
  opinions)
• ? eliciting details

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Questions

• Which kind of course do you use dialogue journal?
• How often do you write dialogue journal per week?
• Did your teacher may help you to correct your
  grammatical errors/ spelling errors?
• After the correction, can you write more
  proficiency?

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Interview Three Reflection on the Meaning

• Purpose to reflect on the meaning of their
  experience
• Meaning ? thinking
• Making sense/ making meaning
• ? how the factors influence participants
  present lives

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• We need to focus on the participants
  understanding of their experience.
• ? to let their thinking become meaningful
• Ex. to renew details of their experience
• ? they may tell us from the past to now

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Questions

• Before you practice dialogue journal, how was
  your writing performance?
• Does dialogue journal writing could help you to
  improve your writing ability? Why? How?
• Did your teacher may take grades on your writing?
• Do you write with more comfort after practicing
  dialogue journals for the duration?

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RESPECT THE STRUCTURE

• The sequence of interviews requires that
  interviewers to adhere to the purpose to each.
• A logic to the interview
• ? to lose control of their direction is to
  lose the power
• Interviewer
• ? providing times for participants to tell
  the stories,
• and focus to allow the interview
  structure to work

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LENGTH OF INTERVIEWS

• Dolbeare Schuman (1982) used a 90-minute
  format.
• Oh, thats too long!
• How will we fill that amount of time?
• How will we get a participant to agree to be
  
• interviewed for that length of time?

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• For younger participants
• ? use a shorter period may be appropriate
• The interview has at least a chronological order.
• Beginning middle
  end
• Remember, Time is very important!
• Open-ended time undue anxiety

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SPACING OF INTERVIEWS

• From 3 days to a week
• to mull over the preceding
  interview
• After few times talking, it may increase the
  relationship between interviewer and
  participants.

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ALTERNATIVES TO THE STRUCTURE AND PROCESS

• Structure
• ? to reconstruct and reflect on their
  experience
• Interviewer
• ? arrange the time for the participants

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Whose Meaning is it? Validity and reliability

• Interviewer plays an important role in interview.
  
• To avoid participants reconstructing their
  experiences.
• The human interviewer is a good instrument to
  gather information.

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Is it anybodys meaning?

• People are variable.
• Using the three-interview structure to
  incorporate features to enhance the
  accomplishment of validity.

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• 1. Place participants' comments in context.
• 2. After one to three weeks, check whether their
  opinions are the same or not.
• 3. Connect their experiences and check the
  participant who is different with others.
• 4. The goal of the process is to understand how
  our participants understand and make meaning of
  their experiences.

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An example of Approach Validity

• What should be included with transcript of
  authenticity interviews?
• A. Verbal aspects
• a. syntax
• b. diction

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• B. Nonverbal aspects
• a. pauses
• b. the groping for words
• c. the self-effacing laughter

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• To have Validity interview-
• 1. kept quiet
• 2. do not interrupt
• 3. do not redirect interviewees thinking
• Warning
• What we need is the thought from
• interviewees, but not from interviewer.

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Experience the process yourself
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Cont.
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• Team up with peer
• Arrange appointments (and in return)
• Tape-record
• Interviewing and being interviewed
• Connect to the possibilities of the process

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• Thanks for Your Listening