Exploring Data Collection - Part 3

This blog post will focus on the questions that will form interviews and observations in order for me to collect data for my research project.

What will I need to ask in interviews  to collect the right data?

I discovered in my initial reading that I will need two types of questions – a central question and then a selection of sub questions that divide the central question in to smaller segments to encourage more detail. In looking into the questions I will need to ask, I believe that it is important for me to create a clear set of questions to provide a framework for my interview, but at the same time I do not want to become fixed on the questions. I must use the questions I devise as a guide and give myself the freedom to interact with the subjects on a human level and leave space within the interview to allow for the dialogue to evole:


"The research interview is an interpersonal situation, a conversation between two partners about a theme of mutual interest. It is a specific form of human interaction in which knowledge evolves through a dialogue."(Steinar,1996 p125)

The interviews and observations that I will conduct will form the majority of my research, therefore I must generate my questions by reviewing my objectives and ensuring that I gather the correct data from my subjects that is required to achieve my aims. 

"As with any field research, case research relies on a core set of questions relating to the objectives of the case writer. It is best to outline those questions and to follow that outline. The case writer should allow for follow-up and in-depth questioning when responses from those being interviewed show promise in developing a greater understanding….." (Naumes, 1999, p52)

After consulting my objectives for the project I was able to define three central questions for my interview subjects. In order for me to engage in a deeper interview with them, I then divided the three central questions in to a selection of sub questions. Here are the results:

Questions - CAMBODIA 

Central Question -  Number 1:

What do you think are the attitudes people need to enable successful inclusive arts practice? (This can be followed by a repeat of the question asking for any more attitudes)

Sub Questions:

1. Have you ever seen the attitude of…(insert example given in previous answer)….in practice at Epic Arts?
2. Can you give an example of when you have seen the attitude of (insert example given in previous answer)…. in practice at Epic Arts?
3. Have you ever personally experienced the attitude of…(insert example given in previous answer)….in practice at Epic Arts?
4. Can you give an example of when you have personally experienced the attitude of (insert example given in previous answer)... in practice at Epic Arts?

Central Question - Number 2:

What do you believe are the personal attitudes that you display that enable you to create successful inclusive arts practice at Epic Arts? (This can be followed by a repeat of the question asking for any more personal attitudes)

Sub Questions:

1. Can you give an example of when you applied your attitude of …..to your personal practice at Epic Arts?

Central Question - Number 3:

What do you think are the attitudes people have that could hinder successful inclusive arts practice? (This can be followed by a repeat of the question asking for any more attitudes)

Sub Questions:

1. Have you ever seen the attitude of…….in practice at Epic Arts or outside of Epic Arts?
2. Can you give an example of when you have seen the attitude of………. In practice at Epic Arts or outside of Epic Arts?
3. Have you ever personally experienced the attitude of…….in practice at Epic Arts or outside of Epic Arts?
4. Can you give an example of when you have personally experienced the attitude of…….in practice at Epic Arts or outside of Epic Arts?

Questions - UK

Central Question -  Number 1:

What do you think are the attitudes people need to enable successful inclusive arts practice ? (This can be followed by a repeat of the question asking for any more attitudes)

Sub Questions:

1. Have you ever seen the attitude of…(insert example given in previous answer) ….in practice at your organisation?
2. Can you give an example of when you have seen the attitude of ...(insert example given in previous answer)... in practice at  your organisation?
3. Have you ever personally experienced the attitude of...(insert example given in previous answer)…….in practice your organisations?
4. Can you give an example of when you have personally experienced the attitude of….(insert example given in previous answer)…. in practice your organisation?

 Central Question - Number 2:

What do you believe are the personal attitudes that you display that enable you to create successful inclusive arts practice at your organisation? (This can be followed by a repeat of the question asking for any more personal attitudes)

Sub Questions:

1. Can you give an example of when you applied your attitude of …(insert example given in previous answer) ..to your personal practice your organisation?

Central Question - Number 3:

What do you think are the attitudes people have that could hinder successful inclusive arts practice? (This can be followed by a repeat of the question asking for any more attitudes)

Sub Questions:

1. Have you ever seen the attitude of…(insert example given in previous answer)….in practice at your organisation or elsewhere in the UK?
2. Can you give an example of when you have seen the attitude of…(insert example given in previous answer)….in practice at your organisation or elsewhere in the UK?
3. Have you ever personally experienced the attitude of……(insert example given in previous answer)….in practice at your organisation or elsewhere in the UK?
4. Can you give an example of when you have personally experienced the attitude of……(insert example given in previous answer)….in practice at your organisation or elsewhere in the UK?

Simplifying the Questions

As I spent time writing the questions and sub questions above, I became very aware that I was using a lot of detailed language. I began to realise that some of the subjects I would be interviewing would struggle to understand what the questions were about. In Cambodia, there is also the added complication of translation between English and Khmer and also Khmer, English and Cambodian Sign which contains only simple words and structure. I became aware that some of these questions could become nearly impossible to communicate and overall were not inclusive of everyone I wanted to interview, I ran the risk of 'excluding' people or intimidating them and this is the very last thing I want to do. My research is about inclusive arts, so it is very important to me that all aspects are in fact inclusive to the core. This feeling was supported by the advice of Steinar;

"The abstract wording of the research question would hardly lead to off-the-cuff answers from high school pupils. The academic research questions need to be translated into easy-going, colloquial form to generate spontaneous and rich descriptions." (Steinar, 1996, p130)

Steinar uses a table to show how research questions can be 'translated' so that interview subjects understand what they are being asked and therefore the best data can be collected:

(Steinar, 1996, p131) 

I felt I needed to simplify my questions in order to ensure that my interview subjects understood the questions and particularly in the case of Cambodia, that questions could be easily translated to be understood. I created a similar table to Steinar of my initial questions:

I then was able to look at the questions and create a simplified, 'translated' version for Cambodian subjects:

I added in Question 1, "How would you describe inclusive arts?", in order to 'set the scene' and determine personal understanding of the term and I also moved the order of the questions as I felt it would be easier for people to discuss their personal attitudes and thoughts first before discussing those of the people around them. I then adapted these questions to fit with subjects in the UK:

The tables I created above will provide the basis for the interview guide that I will need to create to accompany any interview I conduct.

What do I need to ask myself during and after activity observations to collect the right data?

In the same way that I have set out a plan and structure for my interview question, I feel that in order to implement successful and focused observations, I need to do the same for myself for the observations I conduct. This will ensure that I am able to collect clearly defined data that will be easier to analyse. Without this structure or organisation of thoughts and questions, I feel I may go 'off-course' in what I am recording. Using my objectives again I created a set of questions to guide my observations:

Observations in Cambodia and the UK

Central Question 1:

What am I witnessing that shows successful inclusive arts practice?

Sub Questions:

1. What activities are taking place?
2. What interactions am I seeing between people?
3. What reactions am I seeing?
4. What makes me think the practice is successful?

Central Question 2:

Am I witnessing anything that may be hindering successful inclusive arts practice?

Sub Questions:

1. What activities are taking place?
2. What interactions am I seeing between people?
3. What reactions am I seeing?
4. What makes me think that successful practice is being hindered?

Central Question 3:

What am I learning about the inclusive arts practice within this activity at this organisation?

I put this in to the same format as the interview questions for ease and so that I can add them to my interview guide:

From this I was able to create a form to collect the field-notes from the observations I conduct. This is important as it will make recording data easier and these notes will accompany video footage of the session that is observed, so I can then refer to my notes and the footage when I come to analyse the results:

References:

Naumes.W.(1999). 3^rd Edition. Art and Craft of Case Writing. London. Sage

K. Steinar. (1996) Interviews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. London. Sage.