Again with my intentions . . . I had intended to write this when I got home after class. I guess by now, we already know how that works. =)
I was actually quite relieved that class was let out early. I, too, had just gotten off a plane . . . well, not "just" -- I landed in the morning. I got home, took a shower, and then took what I thought would be a short nap. I ended up oversleeping, which was why I was late for class. Ugh! I'm not good with sleeping on planes and the by the time we got home, I had been up for nearly 24 hours. Why am I even telling you all this!?! This is supposed to be course-related. Sorry! Now you know why I don't blog! I could ramble forever about things nobody cares about . . . . The point is that I wanted to thank you for dismissing us early . . . to work on our projects, of course (and, because I was home early, I got to catch the game from the best part -- right before Cruz missed Freese's hit to the right field wall in the 9th!).
Anyways, I also intended to blog about my second interview that I conducted on the 18th that night, but . . . like I said in a previous blog, so much for my intentions. Ugh!
Yesterday's class discussion brought several things to mind in regards to my interviews. I think the audio-recordings definitely do change the "atmosphere" of the interview. In my first interview, the teacher I interviewed was concerned about saying too much. She started off with trying to say what she thought was the "right" thing to say in support of the DOE because she was being recorded and then quickly changed her tune when I told her I wanted her to be honest and the recording would not be "broadcasted"; I had to tell her I wanted to know how teachers truly felt about teacher evaluations. In my second interview, the teacher I interviewed was concerned about not saying enough. My second interviewee was very aware of the fact that the interview was being recorded and kept asking if my questions were being answered. When she would say things that she felt was offending the DOE or someone in particular, she would make comments about striking that part out of the recording. There were certain things she wanted to keep "off the record", so to speak. She tended to ramble here and there during the course of the interview and caught herself. I kept assuring her that nobody was going to hear the recording besides me and that I would strike names out of the transcript. Both initially felt as if I was acting as an agent of the DOE as opposed to a student interested in what teachers (and administrators) really felt about teacher evaluations. Thus, both started the interviews by answering the questions that they felt the DOE would want to hear. I had to tell both that I wanted them to be as honest as they felt comfortable being before they started to really tell me how they felt.
It was also mentioned in class how difficult it is to find people who are willing to be interviewed. I was lucky in that the two people I have already interviewed sort of just appeared and were willing to do the interview -- more than willing, actually. I guess, despite their initial hesitation when the interview started, they are very opinionated. Neither were people I had initially intended to interview (there goes my intentions, again!). I hadn't gotten around to asking the people I was intending to interview if they wanted to participate with the exception of one administrator, which I think I wrote about in a previous blog. The administrator I had asked was very hesitant and concerned about who would know what she would say. I had to assure her that nobody but me would know that she said what she said and that it was basically her opinion that I wanted. How do we know what to fix if we don't know what the problem is, right? I think, for me, I'm lucky because I am in a position that gives me access to a number of possible interviewees and to interviewees I have already established a positive rapport with (since, for the purpose of this project, we only need to interview 3-4 people). However, I know it would be much more difficult for me if I had to interview 60 people and I would have to approach people I am not familiar with and have not already established that rapport with.
Of course, I would need to be careful of who I interview because, as was brought up last night, sometimes my beliefs and opinions are imposed on others during the course of previous discussions and that would affect the validity of my project. I do have a tendency to talk a lot about something I am passionate about (or maybe I just have a tendency to talk a lot about anything . . . have you seen all of my blogs? Yikes!) and what I had said could influence an interviewee's response -- whether it be because the interviewee was lead to believe what I believe or because the interviewee knows the answers I would like to hear. I have been good, though, in not inserting my own opinions during the course of my interviews. I'm not sure, however, if I asked leading questions . . . something for me to look out for. I know there is a difference between probing questions (to encourage the interviewee to say more about the topic) and leading questions (to get the interviewee to say what I want said). The two people I have interviewed thus far are not people I talk to on a normal basis and I do not think I have ever discussed teacher evaluation with them prior to the interviews. That's a good thing.
I also need to consider my position as an administrator and be mindful of the person I am interviewing. I need to be sure that the people I interview are people who will react to me as a researcher interviewing them for a project rather than as their administrator. I think this may not be a big problem for me now that I am part of adult ed rather than a K-12 school. Teachers I would consider interviewing would not be part of my current school; thus, it would not be threatening (not that I am a threatening person . . . ).
Lots more to think about. I can see why people may choose quantitative over qualitative research. Dealing with numbers seem to be easier than dealing with people and the issues that need to be considered when dealing with people (lots of variables!). You can't truly measure the validity of an interview or observation (participant or not) on a numerical scale. People are just not numbers.
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