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Method Training: Conducting Interviews

Preparing an interview

On the following pages, you will first practice formulating questions and queries related to a given topic area, before finally preparing your own interview with appropriate questions.

What is a social science interview?

An interview is an engaging conversation where you learn more about a person and their experiences. Social science interviews help us understand how people think, feel, and act. Today, you will become a researcher yourself!

Choose a topic you are interested in!

To conduct an engaging interview, you must first choose a topic that you're interested in and about which you would like to learn more.

Examples

How has life in our town changed in the last x years?
What does friendship mean to different people?
What dreams and goals do young people have today?

Finding the right interview partner

Now it is important to find the right person you want to interview.

Consider who the best point of contact for your topic might be. Possible options include:

Family member (father, mother, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa…)
Friend (from school, the sports club, the music school, the neighborhood…)
Teacher (homeroom teacher or subject teacher, possibly a former elementary school teacher)
Neighbor (from your building, from the same street)

Asking the right questions

To get exciting answers, you need good questions. Here are a few tips:

Ask open-ended questions: Use what, how, and why questions that allow for more than just a "yes" or "no" answer.
Plan follow-up questions: Think about how you can respond to possible answers to find out more.

Examples

"What is the most important lesson you have learned in life?"
"How has your opinion on the following important topic changed over time?"

Talk about your results so far

Discuss your results together in class:

What's your topic?
Who are potential interview partners?
Which possible questions have you written down?

Compare your results and give each other feedback on what you can still improve. Once you have discussed everything, it is time for you to come up with your own individual topic for your interview!

Conducting the interview

Now it's time to conduct the interview!

Here are a few tips to ensure everything goes smoothly:

Pay attention to the body language and reactions of your interview partner
Signal (e.g., by nodding) that you are listening attentively
Ask follow-up questions to interesting answers for which you want more information
Record the interview (with permission) or take notes

Notes

Reflection

After you have conducted the interview, discuss the following points together in class:

How was the experience of conducting the interview for you?
Is there anything you would do differently next time?
What was the most interesting thing you learned?
Was there anything that surprised you?

EXTRA: Improving interview techniques

Watch videos of journalists and talk show hosts and pay attention to how do they ask questions.

Discuss with your classmates:

What questions did they ask?
Which ones worked well?

EXTRA TASK

Create a poster, a podcast, or a short report about your interview and share it with the rest of the class.

Personalize the worksheet

Enter a topic area for learners to design questions and practice interview techniques.

Method Training: Conducting Interviews

In this worksheet, your students independently engage with an interview topic of their choice, develop questions, and conduct an interview. Worksheet recommendation to complete beforehand: "Method Training: Conducting Interviews (Introduction)"

Personalize the worksheet

Enter a topic area for learners to design questions and practice interview techniques.

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Sample solutions to all exercises.

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