Course Project: Conducting Research through Interviews
This is project, which involves developing a list of questions to use when interviewing three subjects of your choice. Use the questions listed in the Assignment Details, as well as others that you create for your list of questions.
The Course Project Details describe how other weekly assignments lead up to your final project. Please review it, so that you can plan your time throughout this course accordingly.
When interviewing your subjects, try to select a diverse set of individuals as possible; that means get a variety of ages, ethnicities, races, and genders.
You may want to have a notebook with you to make sure you ask each subject all the questions and in the same way. We learned in Week 1 that the results could be different if we ask a question in a different way. Be sure to record everything your interviewees say so you do not forget.
Also, check out the following site for tips on creating questionnaires: Constructing a Questionnaire.
Assignment Details:
Perform the following tasks:
• Complete the reading assignment and the interactive lesson before attempting this assignment.
• To complete this assignment:
o Reviewthe Course Project Details.
o Review the tips inConstructing a Questionnaire.
o Read the Written Assignment Rubricfor a review of writing expectations.
o Interview three (3) individuals of your choosing, using the set of questions you created. Your questions must include: (Responses to these questions will be used in later assignments.)
1) Age
2) Race
3) Ethnicity
4) Gender
5) Where the subject grew up
6) What is "old" to you? How do you know when you are old?
7) How do you feel about old people? Why?
8) Name two different ways that you were brought up that you think are different from most other people. For example, you may say you were raised on a farm or your father was in the military.
9) Were you part of a social, religious, or other type of group growing up?
10) Who were your role models when you were growing up? How did they influence you?
o Use the worksheet on page 3 to write a 500-word narrative, following the interviews, that address the following questions:
1. Was this research something you liked or disliked? Explain why.
2. Were your subjects willing to help or did they not want to answer your questions? If not, which questions did they appear uncomfortable or express discomfort?
3. Was it difficult to write a questionnaire or find a variety of subjects? Discuss any difficulties you had with the project.
o Use Safe Assign to check your written draft against unintended plagiarism.
o Ensure that your responses are free of spelling and grammatical errors.
Assignment Worksheet:
Write a 500-word narrative, following the interviews that address the following questions:
1. Was this research something you liked or disliked? Explain why.
2. Were your subjects willing to help or did they not want to answer your questions? If not, which questions did they appear uncomfortable or express discomfort?
3. Was it difficult to write a questionnaire or find a variety of subjects? Discuss any difficulties you had with the project.