DSRT-850: 4.1 Interview Protocol with Questions Mapped to Literature

Sample Interview Protocol: Dissertation Research

The purpose of the interviews conducted for this study is to collect information about the impact of visionary leadership in higher education related to the implementation of online graduate degree programs. Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews with employees who were charged with implementing change. This approach will allow for the collection of rich data related to visionary leadership in the change process. Interviews will be conducted virtually and recorded using Microsoft Teams. Interviews will be time-limited to 90 minutes. The interview protocol is divided into phases, each with a specific purpose. During each phase, the interviewer will use open-ended guiding questions to influence the direction of the conversation toward the research questions while keeping the interview format open and flexible and asking probing questions in response to the participant’s comments. Examples of such probing questions are included in the interview protocol, and additional questions will be context-specific.

Welcome

The welcome phase will begin with an explanation of the purpose and format of the interview using the script below as a general guide. Efforts will be made to convey the information in a conversational tone without reading the script verbatim. The welcome phase will also provide an opportunity for the participant to ask questions before the interview begins.

Hello! Thank you so much for joining me today for this interview. I greatly appreciate your time and your willingness to participate in my study. As you already know, I am exploring the impact of visionary leadership in higher education related to the implementation of online graduate degree programs at Christian institutions with on-campus

undergraduate programs. As someone who was charged with implementing change in this context, your insights will provide useful data for my research. During the interview, I would like to learn about your experience working with a visionary leader whose foresight had a role in the implementation of online graduate degree programs at your institution and how you and your work were impacted. My plan is to ask some general questions, but the format will be flexible so that you can provide as much information as you feel comfortable sharing. I want the interview to be a chance for you to share your story in detail.

As outlined in the consent form, this interview is being recorded using the recording feature in Microsoft Teams. The recording will be helpful to me as I transcribe and analyze the data, and it will not be used for any other purpose. After the transcription is complete, I will send you a copy of the transcript and provide an opportunity for you to clarify or correct anything you say during the interview. This will help me ensure the accuracy of the data as I begin the analysis process. After I analyze the data from your interview, I will also give you an opportunity to provide feedback on the themes I identify from our conversation.

I want to remind you that anything you share with me will remain confidential. When I report the results of the study, I will combine your information with the data I collect through other interviews. In place of your name, I will use a pseudonym in storing and analyzing your interview data. Neither your name nor your institution’s name will be shared publicly.

I really want you to be comfortable as we talk. If I ask anything you do not want to answer, please be sure to let me know, and we will move on to another question. If you change your mind at any time during the interview and decide you want to stop, all you need to do is let me know.

Do you have any questions before we get started?

Opening

The opening phase of the interview is intended to facilitate building rapport between the interviewer and participant, encourage the participant to think about the experience of change implementation, and set up a context for a more in-depth conversation. During this phase, the conversation will begin to move toward a focus on visionary leadership and how the participant initially became involved in the change process using a script of guiding questions.

Before we begin talking about visionary leadership and change, I would like to learn a little more about your background.

Q1. Could you tell me about your career?

Examples of probing questions: How long have you worked in higher education? Could you tell me about the job you were working in when you were involved in the implementation of online graduate degree programs? How did your involvement change the nature of your day-to-day responsibilities?

Q2. How would you describe the first time you heard about the vision for these plans?

Examples of probing questions: How was the vision communicated to you? What was your initial reaction to these plans? At what point did you become formally involved in the planning process? What was your role? To what extent were expectations of your role clearly communicated?

Primary Discussion

The primary discussion phase of the interview will include a detailed discussion guided by the study’s research questions. The script that follows reflects open-ended questions that will be used to influence the direction of the conversation. The questions are intended to be broad in scope to empower the participant to choose experiences worthy of sharing. The interviewer will carefully listen to the participant and ask probing and follow-up questions in response to the participant’s comments. Examples of such questions are included in the script.

Q3. How was the need for change established by institutional leaders?

Examples of probing questions: To what extent was the vision for online graduate degree programs born from a needs assessment or other broad process? What were your initial perceptions of the need for change?

Q4. What did the change planning team look like?

Examples of probing questions: What positions were represented on the team? What were the individual roles? In what ways did those roles evolve over time?

Q5. At what point and how were plans for online graduate degree programs announced to the campus community?

Examples of probing questions: What were the initial reactions? Looking back, what are your thoughts on how effective the communication approach was?

Q6. Could you describe the formal strategic implementation plan?

Examples of probing questions: What was included in the plan? How it was developed? Who was involved in its development? With whom was it shared?

Q7. How did institutional leaders communicate with and encourage feedback from

stakeholders beyond those who were directly involved in the implementation?

Examples of probing questions: How was change leadership perceived by faculty and staff? What types of complaints did you hear? How widespread was support for the vision? Now that we have discussed how the vision was born, planned, and communicated, I would like to move on to discussing your experiences during the change process. Let’s begin with support for your work.

Q8. How well did you feel you were supported in your work?

Examples of probing questions: What types of resources were you offered to support your role in implementing change? Think about personnel, financial, professional development, and any other resources. What resources would have been helpful that were not made available to you? How did not having those resources impact your ability to be successful with your specific tasks?

Q9. Describe your interactions with institutional leadership at the top levels during the change process.

Examples of probing questions: To what extent did you feel empowered to provide input on the change process? Could you tell me about any opportunities you had to provide feedback to institutional leaders about how the process was going? How receptive were they to your feedback?

Q10. What were some of the short-term successes along the way and how were they celebrated?

Examples of probing questions: What were some motivators that kept the team moving forward during planning and implementation? How did your institution’s leaders influence motivation?

Closing

To respect the participant’s time, the interviewer will monitor time to ensure the interview begins to close within the promised timeframe. The script below will be used to wrap up the interview and help the participant reflect on their experience with the change process that was discussed. At the conclusion of the interview, the interviewer will thank the participant and request permission to follow up for clarity if needed during the transcription and analysis process.

I know change can be a challenging process, especially in higher education when so many people want to preserve traditions and are hesitant to embrace new directions.

Q11. As you think about the experiences we have discussed today, how do you feel they impacted your future approach to change?

Examples of probing questions: To what extent do you see yourself as more open to or better prepared for change? How did you feel about your work on the project after implementation? To what extent have you had opportunities to apply lessons you learned to other situations? In what ways do you feel you have grown as a leader as a result of this experience? Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with the change process or your institutional leaders? The information you shared today has been incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. As soon as I have the interview transcript completed, I will send you a copy and ask you to review it. If you read anything in the transcript that you would like to clarify or correct, please reply to that email to let me know. I will incorporate your feedback into the transcript as I begin to analyze the data. If I do not receive a response

from you within a week, I will assume the transcript is accurate and move forward with the analysis. Thank you again for your help today. I very much appreciate you sharing your experience with me. I hope you have a great rest of the day.