CBR 105:
How to Conduct a Research
Interview
Objectives
Upon completion of this workshop participants will be able to:
• List the key principles associated with CBR
• Recognize cultural considerations critical to CBR
interviewing
• Describe the interview planning process
• Differentiate b/w qualitative and quantitative interviews
• Design quantitative and qualitative interview guides
• Apply good listening skills and best practices for good
interviewing practices.
2
Agenda
1.
Unique qualities of CBR research; culturally sensitive
interviewing
2.
Interview planning process
3.
Choosing between quantitative and qualitative
interviewing; preparing the questions
4.
Listening skills
5.
Mock interviews
6.
Thinking through potential issues
3
Introductions and Opening Activity
This workshop is about interviewing, we will get to
know each other by interviewing one another
• In 1 minute jot down a few questions to ask your
partner
• Then, you will each have 2 minutes to interview
your partner
• After the interviews are completed, everyone will
take a turn introducing their partner to the group
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Debriefing the Activity
What did you notice about what types of questions people asked?
How did you decide what questions to ask your partner?
Which questions were most helpful to us as a group in getting to
know each other?
How did it feel to be interviewed? What worked and what didn’t
(aside from the lack of time)?
What can we learn about interviewing for research from this
exercise?
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1. Interviewing for CBR
1. What do you think is unique about
interviewing for CBR?
2. How do we define CBR?
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Definition of CBR
CBR is a:
“...collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all
partners in the research process and recognizes the unique
strengths that each brings. CBPR begins with a research topic
of importance to the community with the aim of combining
knowledge and action for social change to improve community
health and eliminate health disparities” (W. K. Kellogg
Community Health Scholars Program , as cited in Minkler &
Wallerstein, 2003)
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Principles of CBR
community
relevance
ethical
review
capacity
building
CBR
social action
outcomes
rigorous
methods
collaborative
partnerships
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Considerations for Cross-cultural Interviewing
Common problems associated with cross-cultural
interviewing include:
 Researchers making false assumptions
 Researchers perceiving difference as odd
This can misdirect:
 The research interview
 The nature of the data
 The interpretations
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Insider / Outsider Issues
When an interviewer and interviewee do not share a
common frame of reference there can be issues of:
• Physical access
• Social access (how much the interviewee shares)
• Meaning-making
These issues can exist even when the interviewer is an
‘insider’. (Shah, 2003)
**EXAMPLES???**
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Tips for Culturally Sensitive Interviewing
• Provide cultural sensitivity training for researchers on
the interviewees’ beliefs, values, behaviors, and
communication styles (Schaller, Parker, and Garcia, 1998).
• Involve community members as much as possible in the
interviewing process to ensure relevant questions and
approaches (Padilla and Lindhom, 1995).
• When possible, match the researchers to participants
from a cultural perspective and form cross-cultural
research terms (Shah, 2003).
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Exercise 1
1. Working in small groups describe the communities
you each work with
2. Pick one community and make a list of beliefs,
behaviours, and communication styles characteristic
of the group that would be helpful for interviewers to
know about
3. Be prepared to present your results to the group
Watch out for stereotypes!
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2. Interview Planning Process
•
Determining a focus.
– What do you want to know about? Why?
•
What have others done?
•
How much time/resources do you have?
•
How will you reach potential participants?
•
What permission(s) do you need?
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What is Your Focus?
• Why do you want to study what you want to study?
• What is your rationale?
• What do you want your research to achieve?
• What are the ‘research goals’?
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What have Others Done?
• How have others asked similar types of
questions? (check the literature, colleagues,
peers)
• Can you use or adapt a pre-existing
instrument to meet your needs?
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How Much Time and Resources do You Have?
Time-line, deadlines
Resources:







Dollars
# and type of interviewers, training and support
Honoraria for participants, peer interviewers
Space
Taping, tapes and transcription
Software, computer for analysis
Translation/interpretation
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How Will You Reach Potential Participants?
• Would in-person interviews be best or would phone or
email work better?
• Is a mailed questionnaire possible or necessary?
• If in-person, where would be safe and private? Could you
find a room/space close by?
• What style of interaction will be most effective?
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Permissions
Community protocol around interviewing
 What doesn’t this group like? What might they
react to?
Agency protocol
 ED, Board, research committee requirements
Funder Protocol: what do they ask for?
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Permissions
Research ethics board (REB)
 Formal ethics proposal
 Has to be done well before the interviews start
 Need to submit copies of your interview guides
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3. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Interviews
What is the difference between
qualitative and quantitative interviews?
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Quantitative Interview
• Closed questions
• Aiming for clear answers (that can be quantified)
• Often focused on the descriptors/variables and
their relationship
– e.g. Number of days in hospital
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The Checklist
Please select all of the ice cream flavours that you
have eaten in the last month?





Chocolate
Vanilla
Strawberry
Banana
Other: __________ (please specify)
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Ranking
Order the following ice cream flavours by preference
(where 1=your favourite & 4 = your least favourite)?




Chocolate
Vanilla
Strawberry
Banana
___
___
___
___
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Likert Scale
Please rate the degree to which you agree/disagree with the
following statements:
1) Ice cream is my favourite dessert.
1
Strongly agree
2
Agree
3
Neutral
4
Disagree
5
Strongly disagree
2) Ice cream is a healthy dessert option.
1
Strongly agree
2
Agree
3
Neutral
4
Disagree
5
Strongly disagree
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Qualitative interviews
•
•
•
•
•
•
In-depth (an hour +)
Personal, challenging and time-consuming
Relatively few questions, often open ended
Structured, semi-structured, or unstructured.
A way of finding out what others feel, experience, understand
Often taped and transcribed
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Sample Qualitative Interview Guide
• Introduction, thank you’s, confidentiality, taping
• Why are you participating in this research study?
• Please describe what kinds of supports and services
you’ve used in the past?
• If someone were to ask you to explain cognitive therapy,
what would you say?
• Could you describe any turning points or key moments in
the process?
• What is an image or symbol to describe your experience
of cognitive group therapy ?
• Is there anything else I should know?
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Tips for Both Types of Interview Guides
 Keep the number of questions to a reasonable limit so as
not to overwhelm.
 Pilot your guide and test it first.
 Be open to redesigning the guide if it’s not working.
 Consider social desirability bias.
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Exercise 2 – Preparing & Discussing
Different Types of Interview Questions
In small groups, choose a topic related to one of the
interviewee populations you brainstormed characteristics for
earlier. Keep in mind cultural sensitivity issues.
Team 1: Develop a quantitative interview guide with 10
questions.
Team 2: Develop a qualitative interview guide with at least
7 questions.
Once completed, regroup, share your questions, and give
each other feedback.
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4. Listening Skills
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Acquiring Critical Listening Skills
• Listening takes up half of all our waking time.
• Requires effort and skill, but suffers from the effects of a
fast paced, impatient, advertising driven ‘Western’ world.
• Not just ‘hearing’ (physiological): complex psychological,
cognitive and cultural dimensions.
• Includes perception, organization, remembering and
responding.
• Responding is often overlooked, but it will change a
dialogue or dynamic.
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Barriers to Listening
Obstacles to listening are both external (noise) and internal
(preoccupation, prejudgment, lack of effort)
Nonlistening:
 Pseudolistening
 Selective listening
 Literal listening
 Ambushing
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Central Components of Listening
1. Start by being mindful:
• being present, in the moment and paying close
attention
2. Ask questions .. seek to understand
3. Paraphrase and clarify.
Goal is understanding.
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Central Components of Listening
Enhanced by practice of FELOR





F=face your speaker
E=make eye contact (if appropriate)
L=lean in
O=stay open
R=relax
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Exercise 3: Partner Activity - Listening
Practice
1. Work in groups of 3
(Listener, Talker and Observer)
2. Decide who will listen and who will speak first.
3. The speaker will talk for 2 minutes about something
important to him/her.
4. Listener will listen actively and use the techniques we
talked about to show he/she is listening.
5. After 2 minutes – listener is to restate the key points back
to the talker. Talker validates information/
6. Observer is to share what they noted during the exchange
7. Rotate until each team member has taken on each role
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5. Mock interviews
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Exercise 4: Mock Interview Guidelines
1. Interviewers and interviewees stay in character, keeping in
mind all skills learned from the day
• cultural sensitivity issues, listening skills
2. Observers take note of and be prepared to give feedback on:
 Verbal and non-verbal communication (FELOR, cultural
sensitivity)
 Quality of interview questions
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Exercise 4: Debrief of Interviews
1.
Interviewers reflect:
• How did you feel?
• What did you do well?
• What could you have done better?
2.
Interviewees reflect:
 How did you feel?
3.
Observers provide feedback and comments on:
 What was done well
 Suggestions for improvement
4.
Interviewers respond.
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6. Issues in Interviewing
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Some Key Issues
•
•
•
•
•
Breach of confidentiality
Misinformation
Safety
Inappropriate/odd behaviour
Compensation
Others?
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Objectives
Having completed this workshop participants should now be
able to:
• List the key principles associated with CBR
• Recognize cultural considerations critical to CBR
interviewing
• Describe the interview planning process
• Differentiate b/w qualitative and quantitative interviews
• Design quantitative and qualitative interview guides
• Apply good listening skills and best practices for good
interviewing practices.
40
Workshop Evaluation
Your feedback is extremely important!
Please complete the workshop evaluation….
Thank you!
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CBR 105:
How to Conduct a Research
Interview