Semi-Structured Interview Schedule - Essay Example

Semi structured interview   BC2001 – Coursework Assessment 2 August 8, 2012   Name Institution Semi-Structured Interview Schedule Introduction of the interviewer Hello, my name is _______________________, and I am here to conduct an interview I had requested to have with you. During this interview, I would like to discuss what you know about personal development planning, your perception about personal development planning and your goals during and after your study, your gaps in terms of skills and experiences and your action plan on how to close the gaps. The interview should last for 40-60 minutes, is that ok? Thanks in advance N. B. All information gathered during the interview will remain confidential. Section 1 Biographical Data 1 Age 2 Gender Male Female 3. Which degree programme are you taking? ___________________ 4. What is your current year of study? _________________________ Section 2 Personal development planning Main questions Additional questions Clarifying questions 5. What is personal development planning? Have you heard of the term? - What does this concept entail? - Have you ever practices personal development planning before? Can you provide me with more explanation on this? 6. As a LBS student, do you have goals to achieve in your programme? - What are some of these goals? - Why are these goals important? - is planning how to achieve this goal an important part of your programme? Can you give me an example? 7. As a student, tell me your experiences about personal development planning? - Do you think personal development planning is important in your goals? - How is personal development important in your programme? If not, why do you think so? Can you provide me some examples? 8. In your opinion, are there gaps in your skills and knowledge? - Why do you think these gaps exist? - How will you plug these gaps? -Can you provide me with an illustration? 9. Do you think personal development planning will help you attain your goals in your degree programme? - What component of personal development planning intrigues you most? - How can personal development planning assist you meet your goals? - How do you evaluate your application of personal development planning? - Do you believe that personal development planning has been of help to you? -Do you think a LBS student should practice personal development planning? If so, Why do you believe personal development planning is a vital aspect of your programme? Can you provide me with an illustration? Can you expand a little on some of the benefits you have had? Can you explain a little on why you think so? If so, Why do you believe personal development planning is a vital aspect of your programme? Section 3 Conclusion of interview Main Questions Additional questions Clarifying questions 10. Do you want to add anything on how you think personal development is of value to you? Can you tell me anything else? Thank you for your Corporation Reflection on the semi structured interview The interview schedule presents a list of questions that are helpful in getting responses from the interviewee. These questions fall under the main question while some are additional questions that build on the primary questions. When writing the interview schedule, this approach was necessary to help the interviewer make a follow up on responses the respondent provides. When using semi structured interview, follow-up questions are critical in building the main questions that form part of the standard questions.1 For instance, the first questions require the interviewee to mention the meaning of personal development planning. However, the addition questions alongside this question help the interviewee to elucidate more responses from the interviewee. The use of this approach in the interview schedule gives the interview a leeway to expand on the original questions. The interview schedule also list questions that are short and concise, which gives the interviewee an opportunity to listen rather than talk. Several scholars point on the value of listening when interviewers conduct semi structured interview. In fact, interviewers should do much listening than talking during the interview process.2 The use of short questions was to help the interviewer spend less time talking so as to enable the respondent give me details about the topic or subtopic. Because of this element, the interviewer can get additional time to think of questions to ask, or prepare for additional prompts that can help the interviewee provide more information about the subject matter. Certainly, using short and concise questions is essential in helping the interviewer gain control of the interview process by monitoring the direction of the discussion and shaping it through additional questions and prompts. The presentation of the questions addresses general areas of the topic. Rather than asking interviewers whether they believe personal development planning is an essential part of the programme, the interview moves from general topic to specific topics on the issue. Similarly, the addition questions use the same motivation to help interviewees give their story because specific question can limit their framework of reference.3 For instance, most of the questions are general, which allows the interviewer to have latitude when posing addition questions depending on the respondent’s answer. The use of general questions and additional questions reinforce the role of interviewer in collecting responses critical to the study. The interview makes use of prompts and probes to get as much data from the interviewees. In the above interview schedule, there are several prompt and probes, which are critical in clarifying information the interviewees provide. In a typical semi structured interview, probe allows interviewers to question issues that emerge during the interview.4 In addition, prompts and probes offer the interviewee suggestions that help the interviewer get significant information on a given topic.5 The importance of probes and prompt in semi structured interviews explains why the above interview schedule makes use of prompts. The use of prompts such as ‘can you explain a little on …’ help the interviewer get comprehensive information about a given topic from the respondent. The above semi structured interview schedule focuses on an individual, which is the unit of analysis in this study. In a typical research, the unit of analysis guides the selection of the population study.6 For this interview, a LBS student is the unit of analysis as the interviewer and all question focus on an individual student. In addition, the interview addresses various measures necessary in addressing the aim of the study. With a focus on the study, the question measures that attitudes, preferences and behavioral traits among LBS students with reference to personal development planning. These elements make this schedule a robust tool for collecting data for the study. Bibliography Alson, M. Research for Social Workers: An Introduction to Methods, (New York: Routledge, 2003). Babbie, R. E. The basics of social research (Australia: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2010). Becker, S. Bryman, A. & Alan, H., Ferguson, Understanding Research for Social Policy and Social Work: Themes, Methods and Approaches (Bristol: Policy Press, 2012). Bryman, A., & Bell, E. Business research methods (New York.: Oxford Univ. Press, 2007). Mitchell, M. L. & Jolley, M. J. Research Design Explained (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013). Walsh, M. & Wigens, L. Introduction to research (Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes, 2003), Read More