6B-tools

Interviews


   This is tool that I feel will not only benefit myself but also the people I am interviewing. As Bell says it is an advantage that “can follow up on ideas, probe responses and investigate motives and feelings” (Bell, 2005, p.157). This means I can get a full insight into how someone works, what their feelings are and their motives behind the choices they make within their career.
   A great advantage of this is that there are many ways of interviewing someone, so you have more windows of opportunity to get information. These include

• face to face or over the telephone
• with an individual or a group of people
• using a structured list of questions or a more informal method of
interaction

(Reader 6-pg 17h)

   As I am already using questionnaires as another tool, I will keep away from just using a structured list of questions, as I feel they will be very similar, so I am not fully utilising the way in which I can extract information. Instead I will try to get as many accounts of experiences I can, to build up a file of different experiences from a variety of people, to draw upon and analyse. When people are interviewed and record their experiences with me, it will automatically make them reflect themselves, in turn benefiting them as they can evaluate the positives and negatives of these experiences.

Structure-

Although it will be semi structured in the sense I will give heading on a few topics that need to be covered , I would like the interview open and follow a narrative enquiry style. That way people are free to talk about what they wish, giving room for feelings, motives and overall a more in depth interview as they can give as much info as they wish. The only problem with this is ensuring interviewees do not branch off from the chosen topics and go off on tangents. This is why I will have a few headings of topics to ensure I get the relevant accounts from the interview.
   Another limitation is time. As I wish to conduct as many interviews as possible, this will require a significant amount of time for both myself and the interviewee. I must ensure I plan these a great deal ahead of time so I can mange a schedule that fits in for me and my interviewees so I can carry out all of them successfully.

Recording the interviews-

   If possible I will aim to video these interviews, then transcribing it afterwards. This way I can look back upon them several times and pick up on tone of voice body language etc which adds a completely new dimension to just written words. The limitation if this, is all candidates will have to consent to this, so it may not always be possible if they do not wish to be filmed or wish to be anonymous. Instead I will either write theirs answers, or dictaphone the interview transcribing it afterwards keeping the details confidential.


Overall though, I do feel this is great tool for the inquiry as I will be able to find out first hand form other performers, just what they think of the industry and specific field we work within.