Interview with an International Student - Assignment Example

Interview with an International Data production and method I chose a Qatari international for my interview. He is a 24 year old student at the Imperial University in London enrolled in post-graduate studies in Sustainable Development. He is a Muslim and has been in the UK for about a year. His undergraduate course was Industrial Engineering which he finished in Qatar. I selected him because he was recommended by a friend of a friend and he sufficiently served the purposes of this study. He also consented immediately to be interviewed for my paper. I set up my interview with him by asking our mutual friend to introduce me to him. I then proceeded to explain my research and my interest in interviewing him for my paper. Once he agreed to be a respondent, I presented him with an informed consent letter where I specified the terms and conditions of the interview. Once he read and understood the conditions, he proceeded to sign the informed consent form. We then proceeded to schedule a time and place for the interview. I chose the open and unstructured questionnaire. This type of questionnaire was chosen because it was a questionnaire which allowed more freedom in responses from the respondents (Packer, 2013). In other words, the respondents were not limited by suggested choices in answers. They were free to answer the question any which way they wanted, to elaborate or not to elaborate on their answers, and to answer more personally the questions asked (Turner, 2010). I also chose this type of questionnaire because it was my first time interviewing an international student whom I have also not met before. The unstructured and open type questionnaire allowed me to get to know the interviewee as much as I could and to be free to come up with follow-up questions during the interview itself (Ritchie, et.al., 2013). Some of these questions may not be prepared but may arise based on their answers to the questions. This type of questionnaire did not also make suggestive answers to the questions because there were no suggested choices given for the questions (Nelson, et.al., 2013). It is important not to make any suggestions or to lead the respondent into answering a certain way because leading questions would make the answers biased towards the preferences of the interviewer, not the interviewee (Nelson, et.al., 2013). Using the unstructured and open type questionnaire avoided such bias. Aside from giving the informed consent form to the respondent to read, I also verbally explained the purposes of the interview and what would be expected of him. I told him that the interview was being conducted for academic reasons only and that his interview would be audio recorded. It would be held at a place comfortable for both of them, somewhere quiet where they would not be interrupted. His identity would be kept confidential at all times, and after the interview the recording would be kept in a safe place accessible only to this interviewer. After explaining the terms of the interview, he assented to it and proceeded to sign the informed consent form. The informed consent is an important part of research because it primarily protects human participants against exploitation from researchers (Afolabi, et.al., 2014). It helps ensure that only information which respondents voluntarily give would be extracted from them. All individuals have their right to privacy and the right to protect themselves against any intrusion on such right (Benford, et.al., 2012). Gaining their informed consent helps ensure that their rights would be protected and the interview would be carried out for academic purposes only (Benford, et.al., 2012). Ensuring confidentiality of the respondent is also important because it would help ensure that the interview is being carried out under safe conditions for the respondent (Benford, et.al., 2012). Most respondents value their privacy and would not want their answers during interviews to be known by other people. Moreover, the lack of confidentiality or the lack of anonymity would likely reduce their honesty in their responses, as well as their openness during the interview (Wiles, et.al., 2012). They would be more guarded in their answers without any protection in their confidentiality. Some would even refuse to be interviewed. It is important to secure such confidentiality in order to get more accurate, more valid, and more honest responses from interviewees (Wiles, et.al., 2012). Efforts to maintain such confidentiality would primarily be ensured in this case by finding a private place for the interview where no one would be listening in on the interview. Also, the recording of the interview must be kept in a safe place where no one but the interviewer would have access (Schofield, 2014). While the recording must be made available to the tutor, such availability is also only being made for academic purposes. During the interview itself, some follow-up questions which were not included in the original list of questions were asked. The respondent was more than eager to answer such questions. The interview lasted about 10 minutes and the respondent answered all the questions and was eager to elaborate on some. For some questions he gave one word responses, but these were questions which did not need further elaboration. It was important to ask follow-up questions because it allowed for more information to be gathered from the respondent (Guion, et.al., 2011). These may be unplanned questions but were also equally important to the research topic. During the interview process, I did my best to issue the questions clearly. The questions were simple and easily understood and the interviewee did not ask for clarification on these questions before answering them. This implied that the questions were easy enough and were comfortable for him to answer. There was no hesitation in his responses, even when I asked his religion. For some individuals, religion may not be a welcome question to ask, especially in the case of Muslims and other minority religions in the UK which are often subjected to public scrutiny (Coyle, 2008). In analysing the responses of this interviewee, I noted themes relating to his current comfort level as a minority member of the UK population. This comfort level refers to ethnic/religious considerations, social considerations, as well as geographic and environmental considerations. These themes helped provide a direction for the interview and the data gathering process. While the interview is indeed open and unstructured, I was able to gather information about the international student’s experiences in the UK in relation to the above-mentioned themes. In qualitative research, themes emerge as a means by which responses are broken down to specific topics which can then be used to relate to the main research question and the research objectives (Seidman, 2012). Transcription Interviewer: What country are you from? Interviewee: I’m from Qatar. Interviewer: What are you studying? Interviewee: Uh…Sustainable development. Interviewer: Why did you choose the UK to pursue your post-graduate course? Interviewee: Because I found the course I wanted and a very good university and the UK is very close to Qatar, I decided to go to the UK. Interviewer: What was your undergraduate course? Interviewee: Industrial Engineering. Interviewer: Where did you finish it? Interviewee: In Texas. Interviewer: How was your experience like studying in Texas? Interviewee: Um, it was okay. It was a very interesting experience being exposed to the American culture. But academically, it was very enriching as well. Interviewer: How do you find the weather in the UK? Interviewee: It’s okay in the summer, but there’s too much rain in the rest of the year. It’s very different from Qatar, but still very much tolerable. Interviewer: What is your religion? Interviewee: Islam. Interviewer: Regarding the food, how do you find it in the UK? Interviewee: Um, I think in London there’s a lot of variety. Um, but it’s a little bit expensive. Interviewer: Okay. Can you find the food you like here in London? Interviewee: Yeah, with the variety in food, I was able to find the food I like here. Interviewer: Okay. Where do you live? Interviewee: I live beside the university. Interviewer: Is it hard to find accommodation in the UK? Interviewee: It’s not too hard, it’s not too easy. You have to look to find something that’s a reasonable price. Interviewer: Uh, is the living costly as compared to your country? Interviewee: It’s the same as my country. My country is already very expensive. Interviewer: How do you find the English people? Interviewee: Some are more friendly, but some uh, some don’t like to interact with foreigners. Interviewer: Do you have friends in university? Interviewee: Um, I have friends in the university. Um, I have friends from the Arab community. Interviewer: Are you planning to stay longer after you finish your post-graduate course? Interviewee: No, I plan to go back. Interviewer: What made you choose your current post-graduate degree? Interviewee: I have an interest in sustainability and sustainable development and I want to become an expert in this field. Interviewer: Okay. How do you find your studies here in this country so far? Interviewee: It’s very good. It’s very enriching and very difficult sometimes. Interviewer: Do you experience any language barriers especially as English is your second language? Interviewee: Sometimes yes, especially with some idiomatic expressions and pop culture references, but otherwise, I don’t find myself hampered by language barriers. Being here in London already exposes me to Western culture and has somehow made it easier for me to relate socially to other people. Interviewer: What has been your most difficult challenge in being an international student in the UK? Interviewee: Just being away from family for a long period of time, being away from my parents. Interviewer: Any negative experiences in the academic setting you wish to share? Interviewee: Uh, I haven’t had any negative experiences. Generally, the academic scene has been fair to me. Although I have heard some of my other fellow Muslims having negative experiences with some of their teachers and classmates, but I haven’t had any of those experiences personally. Interviewer: Like what kinds of negative experiences have you heard of? Interviewee: Well, I’ve heard that some of their classmates were a bit racist against them. A friend of mine said that one of his classmates thought that all Muslims were terrorists. Interviewer: How did you feel hearing about that experience? Interviewee: I was a bit alarmed by it. But I know better, so I really don’t pay attention to it too much. Interviewer: What are the advantages you have found in pursuing your post-graduate studies here in the UK? Interviewee: Um, I think the advantages, there’s universities, there’s students from all around the world. You can interact with people of different backgrounds. London is very cosmopolitan, many nationalities. Uh, and the university has a very good reputation. Interviewer: How do you differentiate your academic experience here and in your home country? Interviewee: I think here, people are more serious about their research and uh, there’s a better uh student culture than back home. Interviewer: Have you experienced any racial discrimination during your stay in the UK? Interviewee: No, but there’s a lot of things in the news which is a bit disturbing, but nothing personally. Interviewer: Do you believe that studying here in the UK has proven beneficial to you as a student and as a future professional? Interviewee: Um, yeah, I think studying here in the UK will be very beneficial for my future. Interviewer: Would you recommend other students from your home country to also pursue their studies here in the UK? Interviewee: Yes. Interviewer: What would you tell them about your experience here? Interviewee: Um, I would tell them that this is a very good country to study and also to get to know different cultures and uh, and uh, yes, that’s what I would tell them. Interviewer: How would you help them transition? Interviewee: I think I would spend some time with them in the beginning, just showing them around the uh, you know, the key places, the restaurants, the you know, the important things that they need to know, the important rules and laws that they should be aware of, and things like that. Interviewer: What are your final thoughts on your life as an international student here in the UK? Interviewee: I think it’s been a very good experience, um I’m really happy I came to the UK, um, yeah. Reflection In reflecting on the interview I conducted, I felt that I did a good job in posing the questions to the interviewer. My questions were short and straight to the point and it helped the interviewee also give short, but straight to the point answers. However, I also feel that there were some parts which needed more elaboration from the respondent. Nevertheless, I was able to gather the information I needed from the interviewee, information which more or less encapsulated and described his current experience as an international student in the UK. In terms of the information I gathered, I was able to establish that despite the disturbing information in the news about Muslims being racially discriminated in the UK and abroad, not all students or Muslims for that matter experience such discrimination. The respondent said he was aware of incidents of racial discrimination against Muslims as reported in the news, but he had no personal experiences with it. This is encouraging to note considering that the reports from the media seem to indicate alarming incidents of racial discrimination against Muslims in the UK. This shows that there are inaccurate and exaggerated incidents of discrimination reported in the news. I also gathered from the interview that the student so far has had a good experience as an international student in the UK. His negative experience on life in the UK is more on being away from his family. In general however, he finds the rest of his experience as an international student pleasant and favourable. He actually even recommends other Qataris to study in the UK. He values his experience in interacting with other students from other countries and culture. He finds his experience in the UK very enriching for him as a student and as a future professional and is planning to come back and visit the UK again as a tourist. Key themes for the interview include educational/academic related experiences for the international student in the UK, social value of experiences in the UK, and ethnic/cultural experiences in the UK. I have learned that the academic experience for the student has been very good and has helped him be more focused on his studies. I have also learned that the international student values his time here as an international student because it has allowed him to interact with other students from other cultures and to gain new friends. His ethnic/cultural experiences in the UK have not been relevant especially as he has not experienced any untoward reaction to his ethnicity or religious affinity. However, he knows that there have been untoward experiences by fellow Muslims in the UK, students and non-students alike. The student is a very intelligent and intuitive as he gives well-thought of but direct responses. He is also direct and honest in his responses. There was no attempt to evade or avoid answering any of the questions. All in all, his attitude and participation made the interview process easy and comfortable. There were differences between my original expectations of themes and those which emerged during the interview. I expected racial discrimination to be a significant part of the student’s life in the UK, but as it turned out, it was not a part at all. I also expected cultural transition to be a barrier for the student as an international student in the UK, but this actually was not a problem for the respondent. However, I believe that his former experience in the University of Texas during in undergraduate years made the adjustment for him easier. The themes which emerged nevertheless helped capture a snippet on the life of international students in the UK. I am however aware that each student experience may be different, certainly different for other racial/ethnic minorities for other students. This interview was successful in achieving the original objective of the research, that of gathering data from respondents using the qualitative research method. The interview as a data gathering tool proved effective (Jackson and Mazzei, 2012). I am aware of improvements which need to be made in the interview itself, and the processes involved, and I will definitely make the necessary improvements for my future studies and interviews. The known advantages and disadvantages of the interview method does point out that interviews can both be advantageous and disadvantageous data collection methods (Jackson and Mazzei, 2012). There was more flexibility in the research process for the unstructured interview and the questions were changed and adapted depending on the answers of the respondents. In other words, there was diversion where necessary in the research questions asked. Unstructured interviews are commonly used to collect qualitative data, allowing the respondent to discuss the topic with more depth and also using their own words to express their ideas and their answers to the questions (Mason, 2010). This can be a big help for researchers in understanding clearly the respondent’s situation and answers. The validity of the research and the answers are also increased in using the unstructured questionnaires because as an interviewer, I was able to probe deeper for more specific answers and for better understanding. I was able to seek clarification where necessary. In other words, the interviewee was allowed to direct the interview where he wanted to go (Mason, 2010). In terms of gathering information from respondents, it is important to allow more freedom for respondents in terms of what they want to say and what they can share during the interview (Mason, 2010). However, this process can sometimes be time-consuming. In the case of this interview, it was not too time-consuming because I was able to ask simple and direct to the point questions and the respondent also answered simply and directly (Bryman, 2012). In some important parts where necessary, he was able to elaborate further, but no more than was necessary. There were no unnecessary elaborations which were not related to my questions. This helped me gain a simple but also specific understanding of the themes which emerged from his interview. In terms of disadvantages, I felt that I was not able to establish sufficient rapport with my interviewee, but I attributed this issue more to the fact that English was not my first language and it was difficult for me to make small talk and be more casual during the interview process (Bryman, 2012). It was easier for me to simply concentrate on the interview questions instead of making attempts at establishing rapport. However, I believe that establishing rapport in the process of making interviews is a very important part of the research process because it is an important and valuable way to make the interview more comfortable for both parties (Bryman, 2012). Another disadvantage for the open-ended questionnaire was also in the fact that the analysis process can sometimes be unfocused because the responses can provide too many details which are extraneous to the research topic. Weeding out the important and relevant data can be a challenging process. As mentioned earlier, since my respondent gave simple and direct responses, I was able to easily narrow down the themes. Nevertheless, I am aware that in other interviews and with other respondents, the interview can yield more details than may be necessary for the research topic (Malina and Norreklit, 2011). All in all, in relation to the qualitative research design, the unstructured open-ended questionnaire I applied proved to be a valuable and very beneficial data collection tool. I would definitely use it again for any future attempts in the qualitative research design. References Afolabi, M. O., Bojang, K., D’Alessandro, U., Imoukhuede, E. B., Ravinetto, R. M., Larson, H. 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Anonymisation and visual images: issues of respect,‘voice’and protection. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 15(1), 41-53. Read More