School-based research - Diagnostic interview with two pupils

How do pupils approach learning? What resources do they draw on in the learning process?

Setting up the interview

For this task the intention is that you talk in some detail with at least two students about a very specific aspect of the
curriculum. You might want either:

• to talk to them very soon after they have been working on a particular task, or series of activities related to a specific
learning objective; or
•

Interview questions

If you choose the first option, it would help to have all or some of the work that the students have produced with you as you
talk to them. Your aim is essentially to explore how they approached the learning, what resources they drew on in
attempting the work and what sense they made of it. You should ask questions that help them to talk through what they
did and what or how they now understand or can explain a particular aspect. For example:

• how they approached the task;

• what existing knowledge or understanding they drew on;
• what other resources or existing skills they used;
• how they decided to adopt particular strategies or pursue certain ideas;
• what difficulties or challenges they faced;
• what helped them in tackling the task or overcoming particular difficulties;
• what might have made it easier;
• what they thought the point of the task was;
• how well they think they did and on what basis they are making that judgement.

If you are listening to them work through a particular task or activity, your questions (along similar themes to those above)
will largely be directed towards helping them to make their thinking explicit, enabling you to understand how they see the
task or the ideas/image/problem presented and why they are adopting particular approacehes to it.

Aim

It obviously makes sense to work with pupils that you know, in the context of your own teaching. But your aim should be to
focus on how they see the task/learning objective and what they bring to it.

Recording data

It is obviously more difficult to take notes as you are interviewing rather than when you were observing. Try to jot down a
quick note of key points as you are listening and fill in your notes as fully as you can once the interview is over. It is not
appropriate to record students without seeking formal consent and notifying their parents.

Analysis

Try to keep your record of what the students said distinct from your reflections on it - but also jot down separately the ideas
and implications that strike you in listening or thinking back over what the pupils say.

Writing up and online submission

This task is not going to be formally examined in any way. But this time you will need to share a report of your findings,
analysis and your reflections on them with your subject-specific support group for feedback from your supervisor and fellow
students.

You should submit:

1. an account both of what you learned about the pupils' existing understandings and their approach to the work;
2. analysis of your findings, explaining how they relate to the literature or your readings on this topic;
3. implications of the findings/analysis for the pupils' future learning or for your teaching, and
4. you may also include consideration of the methods that you used to explore the pupils'
understanding/resources/strategies and any thoughts on their appropriateness or effectiveness