Preparing for the interview
Jan 11, 2016
Preparing for the interview
Purea Nei (Waiata Whakangahau)Purea nei e te hauHorohia e te uaWhiti whitia, e te ra
Mahea ake nga poraruraru Makere ana nga here E rere wairua eKi nga ao, o te rangiWhiti whitia e te ra Mahea ake nga poraruraruMakere ana nga here
Cleansed by the windsWashed by the rainsShining, shining forth from the sun Clearing away all your troublesReleasing you from your bonds Fly oh spirit flyTo the world, of the skyWhere life springs forth from the sun Clearing away all your troublesReleasing you from your bonds
McLaren Park/Henderson South. Bounded by twin streams (Oritia and Opunuku), Gt North Rd, Parrs Cross Ave, Pine St, Henderson Valley Rd extension. It has an extensive industrial area, Henderson shops, a secondary school and two primary schools, great cycleways and parks, and a Community Development Hub.
Literature reviewThe McLaren Park/Henderson South community is around 7,000 in number with high levels of Maori and Pacific Islanders. Many of its members are not doing so well as much of the area has a New Zealand Deprivation Index rating of 9 (2002) so there are a number of people living in the area who experience issues and stress in relation to not having enough money to adequately live on; housing affordability; feeling valued, degree of connection to their community and how safe they feel; youth transitioning to adulthood and access to facilities,
services and activities that support health and wellbeing.
Recent research – the Amplify project - 2011
• High-deprivation, low-socioeconomic area. • 30% single-parent households vs 19% for the
Auckland region. • 33% aged 15 and over have no formal
qualification vs 20% (Auckland region). • Students more likely to be stood down from
school • Henderson Massey has the highest number of
children aged between 5-14 of any local board area in Auckland. This number is projected to grow substantially over the next decade.
Cool spaces and Dumb spaces
23 play rugby or rugby league; 33%
14 play netball; 20%9 play soccer; 13%6 do martial arts; 9%5 participate in swimming 7%5 play hockey; 7%4 play basketball; 6%
10 participate in other sports 14%
6 belong to a youth service groups 9%
10 learn a music or dance group 14%
What do the kids do? 69 respondents
Preferred after-school
activities – ranked on level of “fun” (n=69)
How young people
want to be treated by
adults (n=69)
Family activities parents suggested
• Debating (children vs. parents)• Charades• A water-fight• Bullrush• Performance evening• Cricket• Dodge-ball• Quiz night (e.g. are you smarter than a 12 yearold, kids vs. parents tables).
Major parent concern - Safety
• Physical, educational (e.g. not putting their education at risk), and emotional safety was an important consideration for both young people and their parents.
• Parents are unlikely to allow their children to participate in activities if they do not believe that the activity is safe, or if they do not have enough information with which to make this decision.
PreparingFind a research partner and do your background
research on MPHS Study the interview guide, make sure that you
understand each part of it, practice the interview with your partner
Work out what your interview strategy is going to be, how the work is going be shared.
Make sure you have a tape recorder and note paper for your interview.
Setting Up the InterviewContact the participant and organise the interview
time and place. You’ll need about 1½ hours to meet
If the interview is happening at Unitec or a quiet coffee bar, offer a cup of tea or coffee and have water available. If you are going to their home, bring a packet of biscuits.
Do your greetings and chat briefly about something or a person that connects you, or just talk about the weather, life in general, etc. Get settled.
Use an Information SheetMake sure the participant has a chance to read
Information Sheet and signs a Consent FormGo over what is expected (in detail if you haven’t had a
previous face-to-face conversation) Explain the purpose of the interview and clarify any
doubtsAddress issues of confidentiality, risk and withdrawal.Explain the format of the interview, how long it takes (45
– 60 mins), how it will be recordedExplain what feedback will be providedProvide contact information of the interviewer
Qualities of a good interviewer• Informed – they have many ideas about where the
topic might go• Prepared – they are clear about what they
investigating, and have clear and accessible questions. • Engaged – they are deeply interested in the nuances of
the participant’s discourse• Reflective – follow up on hints and paradoxes, checking
that their interpretation is correct. • Remembering – they don’t ask questions about areas
that have already come up in answers to previous questions.
• Consistent – they ensure that all areas that they needed to cover in the interview have been covered.
What to do• Ask open-ended questions • Ask questions that allow participants to describe
situations and events relevant to the topic • Ask specific, detailed questions in the participant’s
own language• Ask only one question at a time• Ask questions that imply a before, during, and after • Follow the person’s lead• Show interest with nonverbal (leaning forward,
showing concern, looking, nodding) and verbal affirmations “oh”, “mmm”, “ah”, “I see”
• Demonstrate comfort by having a relaxed disposition and posture.
What not to do • Avoid asking closed-ended questions or questions that
ask for levels of agreement, except for confirmation purposes at the end.
• Avoid asking abstract, complex or compound questions • Avoid pursuing areas of clear discomfort • Avoid interrupting the person, don’t rush into the gaps,
be silent while people are thinking• Avoid extreme reactions to any particular details• Avoid agreeing or disagreeing or giving advice• Avoid asking “why" questions early – evaluative
questions should come late in the interview • Take care about asking people about their thoughts,
feelings, or other "internal" states – often these are private or hard to access.
Clarifications and Finishing• When you receive a minimal or unclear answer to a
question seek clarification: use prompts.• If the interviewee doesn’t want to say more about a
particular question, that’s OK• TOWARDS THE END of the interview, check to see
that you have not missed any questions. Fill in any gaps.
• Debrief: When you’ve finished the questions ask them how was it for them to engage in the interview.
• Thank the participant and ask if they would like to see a copy of the transcript, explain to them that they can change things that they don’t think are accurate
Post-interview
Transcribe the taped interview, and when this is done and checked by you as accurate, erase the tape
Send a copy of the transcript to the participant, asking if there is anything that needs to be changed
Two photos (pasted as jpg files) with captions are included in the transcript. See Amplify