Reflections about the interviews:

This was an excellent exercise which will really help me with the “real” interview. It was fun and constructive and opened my eyes to my lack of understanding about how an interview might go. Having the feedback about my initial questions, allowing me to adjust my questions, and then practice using those was valuable in developing a better final product. Developing these questions is a lot harder than I initially thought.

I learned that it is important to know the basic background of the interviewee. I must target the interview questions to the individual interviewee. I need to start out with more basic concepts and expand on those, and then make connections with the “big question.” What I learned from my partner was that when my answer was “I don’t know,” he didn’t just give me the answer but built on more basic concepts and terminology that I did know which allowed me to demonstrate the limited knowledge that I did have. At first I was wondering if I really needed an audio recorder. But what I learned is that I need to be observing the interviewee as they think through the questions and their answers. If I’m looking down and writing notes, I will miss an important part of the interview. I’m going to have to listen, observe, think, and possibly formulate the next question all at the same time. My partner also started out with an introductory explanation about the interview and its purpose, which I will add to my interview.

What was difficult was that when I asked the first question I learned that, although my partner had a basic understanding of the topic, he did not have a conceptual understanding about the PCR methodology. I wasn’t prepared for that response and didn’t have a plan to alter my questioning. I also had a hard time listening without trying to teach him. I will need to develop strategies to find out what they know, not tell them what I know.

I think what went well was my scenario questions which led to more insight into my partner’s knowledge. It was interesting to see his thought processes. By simply observing, you can gain a lot of insight.

My protocol will change in that I will definitely make sure that my questions are appropriate for the interviewee’s background. I will begin with determining their understanding of DNA structure, base pairing rules and replication. Then I will assess the connection between these and PCR. I will also prepare back-up questions if I don’t get the responses I am expecting. I will develop some questions that will allow me to better assess their thought processes. I plan to add an activity question, such as a diagram or drawing and build on that. If the interviewee does not know the answer, I plan to have alternatives ways of asking the same question to ensure that they can’t answer because they don’t quite understand the question. I will have a sequence of questions but will feel free to go off on a tangent, or change the sequence. I also need to remember not to try to teach them during the interview, but rather give them cues to elicit their understanding.

What tricks did I learn? Do not make assumptions about the interviewee’s understanding, rather, get at their true knowledge. I think scenarios are a great way to get a handle on their understanding and something that I can build on. Also having them draw a picture of a concept and also build on that.