further notes on pilot interview

So far it has taken me about two hours to transcribe twenty-five minutes of today's pilot interview. As difficult as it is to strain my ears and sustain my mental attention in order to decipher some of the data, it is providing a helpful retrospection. I am using embedded notes within the document (a very useful tool in Microsoft Word) to comment on new insights I have as I am listening to this interview again and transcribing it. I have made notes about how long I allow pauses to sustain between myself and the participant before I ask another question, I have noted certain language that I hear myself using that reflects biases that I have identified. And after talking with Muriel this afternoon, where I ask close-ended questions, I am noting alternative ways that I could rephrase my questions to become open-ended. I also talked with Muriel about how much of my own story to divulge in these interviews. I mentioned that I had observed during the interview this morning a compulsion in me to share my story with the participant in an attempt to acknowledge and affirm the validity of what was being shared by them. On a few occasions I did actually speak about an experience of mine, but most of the time I just noticed that I was feeling compelled to do so. Muriel pointed out that I could convey my understanding to the participant through reflexive listening without the danger of the participant overlapping my story with their own.

Ok, so things to keep in mind for Wednesday's pilot interview:

• practice reflexive listening
• make an effort to allow for extended periods of silence
• aim to ask questions in an open-ended manner