Field Research Interviews (Advanced)

Practice on Your Own

Imagine you are doing field research in a country where the language is spoken. You might already have a research topic picked out; if not, you can create one.

• Think about what you will need to know in order to conduct a research interview. You might work with male/female, young/old, urban/rural populations. How will the demographic you are working with influence your speech, gestures, level of formality, etc.? If you are interviewing in a particular region, are you familiar with the accent/dialect of that region?
• List 10-15 possible interview questions. Read each out loud. Which vocabulary groups do you need to review in order to ask them clearly, and to understand your participants’ responses?
• Practice your interview by yourself, asking and answering your own questions. Is there anything you need to add, take out, or modify?

Practice in Conversation Session

• Role play your interview with your conversation partner.
• Talk with your conversation partner about each question in the interview, why you chose it and what information you hope to gain from it. It might be helpful to ask your conversation partner if they have any additional questions or comments about the content and/or structure of your interview.