Personal Reflection On Preparing Interviews

The majority of our efforts were spent on the interview protocol. Chung would instruct us to practice conducting interviews and report any feedback we had. Before this class, I had never conducted an interview. I was worried that was not going to have anything to offer the group due to my lack of experience. Also, I was nervous that I would slip up during an interview or freeze. I was lucky enough to have such supportive lab mates, who assured to me that I’d do fine. The first time I practiced the protocol, I was very robotic and read the script verbatim. The lab member I was practicing with told me it was fine, but I thought it was too awkward to be considered acceptable. For the next couple days I practiced with my friends so I could become …show more content…
Unfortunately, this session had a low turnout, so we were only able to interview four participants. Ironically, these were the same participants from our first session, with the expectation of one girl who had left the program for other economic opportunities. When we arrived there were only two participants awaiting us. Chung tried to match the participants with lab members she felt could bond with each other. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to interview due to the lack of participants, so as soon as another participant arrived, I volunteered to interview. The girl I interviewed was a 14 year old freshmen. She was very energetic and from previous conversations with her, she seemed very open. While I was preparing the start the interview, we engaged in small talk. This allowed me to make a smooth transition into discussing the interview. After reading and signing the consent form, we sped through the questions. Her responses were quick, but they were deliberate: I believed all of her answers. Also, the addition of the response cards allowed us to come to a mutual understanding of her responses. An observation I made was that her expression would vary based on the question: if the question was positive she’d smile and if the question was negative she’d frown. This transparency added another layer of believability. Upon completing the interview, I wanted to end on a positive notes so I asked her if she …show more content…
There’s a difference in being a participant and being a facilitator. As Bentrice’s assistant, I was about to see the intention behind her activities. Each activity was supposed to convey a mission. As a participant, I thought nothing of the activities. Now, reflecting back I am able to access what I actually learned from her and the program. I learned how to trust my own judge and that my ideas and beliefs are valid. I also felt more confident when working, artistically and academically, because she taught us the important of planning ahead of time. Also, I had a lot of fun while in the programs It was amazing watching these students have similar experiences to me and seeing them learn some much without even being aware. Altogether, I enjoyed my semester in the REACH Lab. I now have an experience that few sophomores are granted. Throughout the semester, I have become increasingly interested and invested in this research. Sadly, due to my course load next semester I will not be able to take the course. Henceforth, I have decide to act as a volunteer in the lab next semester. I hope to continue learning about the research process and look forward to working with Chung