Method Practicum 2: Conducting Qualitative In-depth Interviews

(15 points)
New Deadline: Sunday, September 19.

Prompt: The semi-structured in-depth interview has tremendous value in

understanding and analyzing various personal experience of various members of
various groups. In this assignment, you are required to develop an interview guide for
in-depth interviews based upon the method of three segments. Please draft a list of 10
specific questions you wish to ask your respondents and informants, sort them into
three segments, and provide rationales for why you design these questions and why
they belong to the specific segment.

Regarding Research Question:

Any topic related to media and communication is fine. Selecting one that you are
familiar with would be better; otherwise, it might be hard to formulate effective
questions. You don’t need to justify why you select this topic, as this is not the focus
of this assignment. In this part, the focus is the clear distinction between research
topic and research question.

Regarding Question Number in Each Segment:

As to the exact number of questions in each segment, you could make your own
decisions. There are no exact requirements on this aspect. However, segment 2 is
considered as the most central element in interview guide in qualitative in-depth
interviews, which naturally deserves more space. Thus, my recommendation is:
designing 2-3 questions for the first segment, 4-5 questions for the second segment,
and 3-4 questions for the last segment. In total, please design 10 questions. I
understand that theory-driven question would be hard. Thus, it will be enough if you
propose one and mention theory that you rely on—no tough requirement here!

For introducing your topic, you might refer to the following template.

I am____. This research is to explore____ [topic]. I am particularly interested in

understanding_____[question]. Thank you for receiving my interview. At any time,
you have the right to keep silent and to say no. Your personal rights will be protected
[ethics]. [This serves as a template; Meanwhile, you are always free to make decisions
and adjustments regarding what this paragraph should include in your essay].

After this short introduction, please list your questions and explain the rationale.
Please follow this format: listing questions of segment 1 and explaining rationale;
listing questions of segment 2 and explaining rationale; listing questions of segment 3
and explaining rationale. When explaining rationale, please pay attention to the
segment 3: politically economic (theory)
approach - if you are using government/
company initiatives or support,
following questions: Why do you design these questions? and why these questions
belong to this segment?
Other Requirements
1) 2-3 page in total, double spaced, 1-inch margin, 12 Times New Roman (Do
not exceed the page limit, otherwise, there will be deductions—this time, we are
strict)
2) Please put your name and student number on your word submission
3) For the rationale paragraphs, please construct integral paragraphs with
coherent sentences and clear arguments.