Interview
...is for Interview
The interview option is certainly a challenge; anticipating questions to ask and responding in the moment are two very different skill sets. Irrespective of whether this option is part of the final format, it is very much worth considering using interview as an essential part of the research process and the gathering of primary data in the form of multiple perspectives. Criterion A and B will be very grateful.
The nature of the interview
One of the additional formats listed is an interview which means a 1500-2000 word report with additional 7 minute recorded interview or 700 word script.
A daunting prospect ... for who?
Undoubtedly, less students do Option 2 than Option 1; but arguably those who do choose Option 2 have a real passion for the medium that they are using and their reflective project experience is arguably more fulfilling. Nothing wrong with doing Option 1 but let's make sure it's for the right reasons and not playing it safe. This can be a daunting prospect for the reflective project coordinator and supervisor as juggling two formats away from the familiarity of the essay requires a certain leap of faith.
Keep at the forefront of our minds that this is about the process - essentially of project management where there will not be a straight trajectory of success but one of highs and lows, problem-solving and frustrations but this is the stuff of resilience building. We cannot repeat enough that the only real way to score in the higher markband of reflection is through reflecting on successes and setbacks. Whatever the students' reflective project experience, we want them to be conscious of the process and explicit in their development; sometimes venturing into unknown territory and flexing a bit of risk-taking is just what is needed.
Interviewing is essential
As expressed in the introduction, irrespective of whether this is the final format, interviewing can be an essential part of the research process and identifying multiple perspectives. It certainly gives real world relevance and agency talking to actual people as opposed to just using tertiary and secondary sources.
What can you do with an interview?
So why explore this as an option?
An interview (recorded on audio/video; 7 minutes or 700 word script). A student maybe passionate about creativity and performance and wants to use the reflective project to showcase talents for future employment or educational opportunities. Thinking creatively across the assessment criteria can be tricky.
A key point here is to consider what would be the most effective use of the 7 minute interview or 700 word script in terms of the criteria and how will you use the written report to support. Setting up the interview first can be a really good idea as it might give the impetus and framework of what to explore further in the report. Equally it might be wise to use the report to explore the current research or a specific context before using that as the basis for an interview to draw out multiple perspectives.
The next step is to see just how many different ways this powerful medium can be used.
The following excerpt is from a LinkedIn article called 'What are the advantages and challenges of using interviews in qualitative research?
LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the internet. Using this source specifically demonstrates the real world relevance of interviewing in professional life as well as academic research.
Interviews have several advantages as a qualitative research method.
1. They allow researchers to gain rich and detailed data from the participants' own words and expressions, which can reveal their feelings, motivations, and meanings.
2. They enable researchers to establish rapport and trust with the participants, which can enhance the quality and depth of the data.
3. They provide researchers with the opportunity to clarify and follow up on the participants' responses, which can improve the validity and reliability of the data.
4. They allow researchers to adapt and tailor the questions and topics according to the participants' needs and interests, which can increase the relevance and usefulness of the data.
Challenges of the interview as a qualitative research method
1. They require a lot of time, resources, and skills from the researchers, who have to design, conduct, transcribe, analyze, and interpret the interviews.
2. They may be influenced by various factors that can affect the quality and accuracy of the data, such as the interviewer's bias, the participant's honesty, the rapport between them, the language and cultural barriers, and the ethical issues.
3. They may produce a large amount of data that can be difficult and complex to manage, organize, and code.
4. They may raise some ethical and practical challenges, such as obtaining informed consent, protecting confidentiality, ensuring safety, and dealing with sensitive or emotional topics.
Tips for Conducting interviews
To conduct effective and ethical interviews in qualitative research, researchers need to follow some tips and best practices.
1. Prepare well for the interviews, by defining the research objectives and questions, selecting and recruiting the participants, designing and piloting the interview guide, and arranging the logistics and equipment.
2. Conduct the interviews professionally and respectfully, by establishing rapport and trust, asking open-ended and probing questions, listening actively and empathically, managing the time and pace, and avoiding leading or influencing the participants.
3. Document and process the interviews properly, by recording and transcribing the interviews, checking and verifying the data, obtaining feedback and consent from the participants, and storing and protecting the data securely.
Making connections and using the additional formats as preparation
The significance of the local context
Irrespective of format, exploring who the stakeholders are in one's local community and being able to talk with them is essential to build social and communication skills as part of students' personal development, intercultural understanding and effective communication. It may well be that the school has guest speakers connected with the career-related studies and DP subjects as well as community projects and the opportunity to create authentic learning experiences is there with students taking part in interviews and debates quite naturally.
Criterion B
... asks for students to explore the impact and significance of their ethical dilemma in a local or global context. Notice the 'or'. However, students often choose to look at both which can be hugely impactful as they are considering the implications of an ethical dilemma on a local and global platform and making connections between them.
Just like the other additional formats of the short film, presentation, display and play, the interview is a great way of preparing for the reflective project even if students do not use this as their final piece.
Interview challenge.
This activity is intended to get students considering what questions do and how you must intentionally craft them to be able to make them work for you and produce what you need.
Thinking processes and Effective Communication
Explore the following information before considering an ethical dilemma and the various stakeholders connected with it. What would you ask them, how would you form the questions and what outcome would you anticipate?
For this part of our exploration into interviewing, we turn in no small part to Psychology for inspiration and the types of interviews that are used in the job market. To state the obvious, interviewing is a crucial part of the research process in this academic field and this exercise in no shape or form intends to trivialise this process through over-simplification. Disclaimer made, let's look at the idea of structured and unstructured interviewing and consider what we can learn from this.
Structured interview questions are often used in job interviews as they are a set of pre-defined questions asked of everyone. This is a way of collective quantitative research.
Unstructured - unlike a structured interview, an unstructured interview does not tend to have a set of predefined questions and is more casual in tone. In an interview context, it is much harder to compare candidates and qualify the data collected.
What might be the benefits and drawbacks to both structured and unstructured questioning when considering the use of interview in the reflective project?
Source: https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/hiring-use-structured-interviewing/steps/introduction/
Reflective Project ethics
The following guidelines are actually relevant for all options both in terms of research as well as when interacting with external stakeholders in the community - this could be in film, interview, and collection of research data.
If you do choose the interview, then remember, like all reflective projects you must consider how to carry out your work ethically. Consider how you are going to attempt to explore your ethical dilemma in a balanced way and how you are explicit in your academic integrity. How do you do that through an interview?
1. Consider who you are considering involving in your interview process. You must seek permission of anyone involved and they must be informed about the purpose and intended use.
2. If you are not sure whether an aspect of your film content is appropriate or not, then it probably is not and you need to err on the side of caution. Always communicate with your supervisor about what you are planning. Respecting privacy is important in film making as it could be seen as obtrusive.
3. Set the intention of objectivity and balance in your film - that you will try to capture a situation as accurately as possible without creating an artificial representation at all. It may be that you decide to explore the perception of bias and validity within your film itself but be clear about your research methodology throughout - both in this and the written report.
4. Keep the big picture in mind. How does the picture fit in to the overall purpose of your reflective project? Are you telling a narrative and what are you trying to communicate? Does your storyboard and planning for the film help you do that? Half way through, is it still communicating what you intend? And reflect at the end - were you successful in how you chose to explore the ethical dilemma?
5. It goes without saying that, and this is an extension of point 2, if you are not sure if something is right/sensitive/dangerous, then do not do it.
6. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: So important it is in capitals. Your subjects and all your sources must be given credit in your credits and/or bibliography.
An interview (recorded audio or video; 7 minutes) or a written script (700 words)
Choose an interview to support a shorter essay if you are fascinated by the way you feel your ethical issue and dilemma can be best presented through interviewing people with interesting perspectives. This is certainly an excellent choice if you are considering journalism as a career choice. You will need to have confidence that your role as inquirer and that your questions can draw out interesting responses from your interviewee.
Mind map your initial ideas for:
... what the interview could convey - look at criteria B and C for help
... what the purpose of questioning might be. Perhaps look into socratic questioning as part of your research
... the ethical ramifications when interviewing someone. Will your editing change the meaning? Does the interviewee have a say in the final piece?