3.1 Data Gathering Instrument
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Successful_Learning_Interview_Protocol_Final_Draft.docxIndividual Protocol
Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today. If you could please sign and date the consent form that allows me to use the information from today’s interview in my research project. As a reminder, this research study is entirely confidential and your name will not be attached to any research data. I have an hour to an hour and half scheduled for our interview today. I want to honor any time constraints that you have today. Finally, I will ask open ended questions today and I will be taking notes and recording our conversation. This interview should feel more like a conversation rather than a question answer session. I want you to feel comfortable elaborating on your responses, and there will be times where I will ask follow-up questions based on your answers.
Our first questions are built to help me gain background information about you and your experiences in teaching.
Introduction
How long have you been a teacher?
What subject matter do you teach?
What grades do you teach?
Can you describe your first experiences of teaching a class?
What is your favorite thing about teaching?
What, if anything, would cause you to leave the field of teaching?
Researcher notes:
Our next few questions will focus primarily on learning. As a teacher you see learning every day. Once again, I will be taking notes and recording your responses. I want you to feel comfortable elaborating on your responses, and I will ask you follow-up questions based on your responses.
Learning
What research on learning are you familiar with?
Tell me about your experiences with successful learning.
What causes learning to take place?
How or why do you believe this?
How do think learning and communication is linked?
Do you think that all teachers believe they way that you do about the link between communication and learning? Why?
In your opinion, what must teachers do for students to learn best?
How do you perceive other teachers would respond to this question?
What do you believe causes students not to learn?
What can be done to fix ineffective learning?
How can teachers change practice of communication to fix students lack of learning?
Researcher notes:
Thank you for your responses to the learning based questions. Our next questions will be tied to the role of engagement in the learning process. As you have done with the previous questions, please feel free to elaborate on your answers, and I will ask follow-up questions.
Engagement
How would describe engagement?
How does your definition vary from your colleagues?
Do you use any engagement strategies in your teaching? Which ones?
How have your strategies impacted your students’ learning?
What role does engagement in content play in learning?
How does this role affect the overall impact of learning?
Tell me a story about a time where you had total engagement in your classroom.
Researcher notes:
Thank you for your responses on the engagement based questions. Our next sets of questions will look at the role that relationships and communication techniques play in the learning process. We will continue to follow the same procedure as we have been where you are welcome to elaborate as much as you would like on your answers, and I will ask follow-up questions.
Relationship
Tell me about the types of relationships you have with your students.
What does it mean to have student to teacher relationships?
Do you place an importance on student to teacher relationships?
If so, what do you believe is important about student to teacher relationships?
How can student to teacher relationships impact learning?
How do you feel your relationships with student’s impacts their learning?
Can you share with me an example about a time when you had a strong relationship with a student or students?
Researcher notes:
Communication
Tell me about how you speak to your class.
When you speak to your class verbally, what speech mechanisms are important for optimal learning to take place?
Why are these important?
Can you think of an example where you may have felt aggressive in your communication with students?
How can a teacher be too aggressive with their classroom?
Has there ever been a time where a student just did not respond to you in the way you expected?
If so, describe.
What is your opinion of a teacher’s use of humor in the learning process?
How can humor enhance or detract from learning?
Researcher notes:
In this final section I want to allow you to have the opportunity to share with me any other information that you feel I should consider in my research project. These last few questions will conclude the interview process.
Conclusion
Do you think teacher input is valuable in learning research?
In what ways can teachers help researchers learn about strong instructional practices that impact learning?
Are there other ideas you would like to add?
Thank you for your help with our project. Do you have any questions for me about this research?
Again, thank you so much for your participation in my interview today. Are there any final comments that you would like to make that would help me in this research project or the field of education as a whole?
Researcher notes:
