The interview process
Next, a series of interviews is scheduled. There are typically 5-10 interviews which take between 1-2 hours long. This is the fun part!
Interviews include semi-structured open-ended questions and will focus on particular periods and/or major events in your life (eg. childhood, adolescence, adulthood, swimming Cook Straight).
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You will receive ‘prompt cards’ with brief questions one week prior to your interview. These cards will help you to think about the interview approaching and should encourage memory recall.
Interviews will typically last 1-2 hours and will take place weekly at a location agreed upon. Interviews will be recorded via lapel microphones and stored on an external hard drive. Recordings and transcripts will be kept securely and will be available on request. Possible questions might include:
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Did you have children? (if so, who, where and when?)
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Who were you closest to in your immediate family? (why and what sort of things did you like to do together/brought you together?)
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What skills did you pass on to your children do you think?
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What wisdom did you pass on to your children?
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Were there family traditions? (if so, describe some to me eg. what did a family Christmas/birthday in your home look like?)