Homework week 5 PS

SO308 Principles of Social Research

Data Analysis 4: Interview

Directions:

Choose one participant that will agree to an administration of the interview schedule.

Find a quiet and comfortable place that sets your participant as ease. Remember not to deviate from the set interview schedule (although you can give minimal responses to requests for clarification or use neutral prompts or probes to get them going or keep them on track). Give your participant a pseudonym and record no information that could lead to their unique identification. Take detailed and exhaustive notes! Record everything because you may not realize that something is important until after the fact. Remember that the purpose of these content analyses is to gather data about how members of different groups think about, talk about, behave toward, or otherwise respond to another. You don’t have to record information that does not pertain to our purpose, but do record everything that may shed light on our research topic!

Take detailed notes during the interview. Include what they said and how they said it [important body language, pauses, and other non-verbal expressions should be noted in square brackets]. Find a quite place as soon after the interview is concluded to record your notes into this form. Clean your notes by removing your shorthand and explaining every detail. Remember that these notes need to be understandable on their own. Include everything and add additional details as you recall them. When you add detail after the fact in this first pass, use “Bright Green” text to distinguish it from your first observations.

Then set your notes aside for about 24 hours so that you can think about them some more. Make a third pass through your notes and use “Blue” text to distinguish these subsequent reflections from your first observations and your initial additions. It is important to make these distinctions clear because your understanding of the interview may change with time. Do not worry if your first, second, and third passes through your data agree with one another. Again, your perspective may change. It is important that you do not delete previous notes, but merely add to them each time through.

Finally, in all three passes, be careful to distinguish between what was said and your interpretation of what was said. Actual descriptions should be recorded in regular text (in the appropriate color), but your interpretations, opinions, and inferences from the data should be italicized. Try to maintain this “fact-value” distinction as carefully as you can (although it is impossible to be perfect in this regard). You can use as many pages for your notes as you need. This document will expand to make room. But please be conscientious about recording everything, including your reactions as the interviewer! Good luck and have fun!

INTERVIEW NOTES

Data Collector ID:

Location of Interview:

Date:

Time:

Duration of Interview:

Description of Surroundings:

Description of Interview Participant (include physical description, dress, and rough demographics):

SCHEDULE OF QUESITONS:

1. We all belong to different groups, and all groups have some relative status in society. Some of those groups have higher status and so give their members advantages relative to others. Many of these are related to physical characteristics (such as race, gender, or attractiveness), cultural characteristics (such as ethnicity, religion, or regional origin), or access to resources (such as wealth, income, or education). What do you think the most important groups are today for giving their members advantages?

2. What do you think the most significant groups are today resulting in disadvantages for their members?

3. Is the United States an equal society? Does everyone get the same fair chance? Why do you think the way you do?

4. Is the United States more equal now than in the past? Why do you think the way you do?

5. Is equality and fair opportunity discussed enough as an issue in the United States today? Why do you think the way you do?

6. What things could we do as a country to improve equality in the United States, or does it need improving? Why do you think the way you do?

7. Is prejudice inevitable? Why or why not?

8. There is a lot of talk about "diversity" today. Do you believe this is an appropriate value for us to pursue as a country? What would an effectively diverse society look like to you?

9. Race, cultural heritage, sex, sexual orientation, money, religion, and ideology have all been historical points of division in societies. Which do you think are the most important for us today? Are there others that you think are important?

10. Is there an American way of life that you believe all Americans should accept? If so, what does that look like? If not, why not?

11. Do you believe you belong to any groups that are afforded higher status in our society? What are they and how has this affected your life? Has this ever resulted in your disadvantage?

12. Do you believe you belong to any groups that are afforded lower status in our society? What are they and how has this affected your life? Has this ever resulted in your disadvantage?

13. Do you feel you have ever been discriminated against? If so, what were the circumstances? If not, why do you feel that has never been the case?

14. Do you feel that any other groups are angry at a group that you are a member of? Has this ever personally affected you?

15. Were you raised with any prejudices that you recognize? If so, what were they? How do you feel about them now?

16. What are the most important ways that prejudice and discrimination might effect your day to day life?

17. What are the most important ways that prejudice and discrimination might be a national or international issue in the coming years?