Value of Interviews

Discussion Group with Helen Kindred, Pedro De Senna & Sam Murray (01/11/2021)

I haven't blogged lately. I worry so much about writing blogs well that I lose time for my actual essays and then I feel behind. I promise I have been doing work, I just haven't been documenting it on here! 

This Zoom call was primarily meant to be about interview techniques. However, I also found it extremely beneficial in helping to consolidate what my Participant Observation as a research method will entail. I feel so much more confident in what I am doing and am really glad I was able to make the call!

Notes from Sam on Interviews:

Create a good environment
- Start with throw away questions, it gives them a chance to settle in as they know the answers (e.g. How did you first get into dance?)
- Keep you question paper to the side. Use it as a prompt, but try to be as engaged in listening to the answers as you can.

Hold authority
- You can change the topic if they go off on a tangent.

Recording the interview
- Don't take too many notes as you won't be in the moment
- Take a video or audio recording (make sure you get permission!)
- Don't transcribe every word, just the important bits.

End of the interview
- Ask them if they have anything else they'd like to say.
- Tell them what you're going to do next in your research.

Debrief
- Have a debrief 2-3 weeks after
- Ask how the interview felt for them and if there's anything else they'd like to add now that they've had time to reflect.

If you can try to do a practice interview with a friend, get them to stop you if you give a leading question.

MORE Form - include draft questions but these don't have to be the actual final questions that you ask on the day!

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My Research Method!

My idea going into the meeting was to do a participant observation of my cast mates for 3-4 weeks during tour to monitor energy during performances and how that links to offstage behaviour. I suggested a focus group at the end to see how they felt about it and get their perspectives.

Helen and Pedro made some really good points/suggestions:

Make sure you have a criteria for you observations
- What is your definition of high/low energy (how is it measured without just judging people)

3-4 weeks is too short to observe change
- work out what you will be mapping
- look to the literature to inform your observations

Use quantitative data too
- get the participants to self-report some data before/after shows so that you're not making guesses
- e.g. what breakfast they ate, how much sleep, how they felt the shows went etc.

There should definitely be some sort of focus group/debrief after the observation period.

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Better get on with this MORE Form now!! Aaaahhhhh!!