Conceptual Interviews
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Conceptual Interviews
Conduct an interview to find out what students think about a particular topic. Often you need to approach the subject obliquely so students wont try to give the "textbook" response. Key question types are "what is..." "Why does... "
Think Aloud Interviews
One way to approach a topic without asking students directly what they think is to engage them in a task and get them to talk about what they see and what they are planning to do next. Piaget used a sort of think aloud strategy with his students when he had them predict what would happen and then watch and then explain what they saw. Students were mostly observing but they had to respond to events during the interview - and thus cant provide simply canned answers.
With any conceptual interview you start with a protocol of questions (the sequence of questions you will ask in the interview) but you will have to go off the protocol to follow up on students answers. Followup questions are designed to get students to be clear about what they are saying and address any inconsistencies in their explanations. Your protocol should list expected followup questions, but you are not limited by these - follow where ever the student leads you.
Recording Interviews
Use a tape recorder, an iPod with microphone, the microphone on your computer or write really really fast
In class we used the program Garage Band to record off the built in microphones. Other software like Audacity can be used as well.
Transcribing Interviews
In this class we will not transcribe the entire interview, but focus on key sections to transcribe and analyze. To do this of course you need to identify the key sections. So the first step is to listen to the entire tape and take notes on when the different sections (e.g. each question, or changes in topic) happen. Then you will be able to narrow down where the important parts are. By important we mean where students are engaging with the questions and providing some meaningful explanations/reasoning that can help you understand their thinking.
Once you have identified one or more exchanges, transcribe them verbatim as best as possible. Write it like a script identifying who is speaking and other things about their voice or gesture (if you have video).
for example (I is the interviewer and AC is the student):
I: What about the opposite situation - if you have something cold like a bowl of ice cream? AC: It will get all mushy. I: OK, why does it do that? AC: Because the room is hotter than the ice cream and it will - um - get colder because it is not kept in the frozen, refrigerator, so when it is out into the regular room it will loose the heat or the (pause) it will gain heat energy.
Notice the notes in parenthesis on pauses. You might also note students' tone, loudness, how quick they respond - all these things can add important detail for the reader.
When you do your write up, try to avoid the sweeping conclusion (e.g. "students all think science is boring") and focus on the detail about these particular students.
