Researcher: Darcy Allen

Site: Prince George

I chose to interview adults with little formal education individually and in a group session to try to discover how they learn the things they want to know. Prior to meeting with participants, I did two practice interviews—one with my partner and one with a former adult literacy student. In the beginning I had no doubt that I would be able to get at least ten volunteers to participate in my interviews. I felt that as I knew so many people and they knew me, of course they would want to participate. What I failed to realize was that the people I needed to interview have genuine fears about education, learning, and teachers. To them I am a teacher, even in my role as researcher.

I struggled with how I was going to convince people to participate and had to re-evaluate the number of interviews I was going to be able to complete. Would I use those who were referred by their social assistance caseworker? Should I hold out hope for friends and family members of my literacy learners? Could I ask potential participants in my literacy tutor program? After much debate within myself and with guidance from my teammates, I was able to interview people who came to me via friends of past students and other programs within the Friendship Centre and my own friends’ family members. Five participants were identified. Now, I still had to actually meet with them.

The reality though is that those first few tries were a mess. One person didn’t show up three times, while another didn’t show once but phoned to cancel once also. Another person never did show up. Six times I was stood up or prepared to meet and got a last minute phone call to cancel. After the sixth inconvenience I met two interviewees in their own homes. I understand now that it was much easier for them to have these intimate conversations in the safety of their own homes and on their own time. The other three did come to meet me after I told them about the $20 honorarium. All interviews were audio taped and all of the participants signed letters of consent for my use of their information and names in this project. Each participant was given a $20 honorarium at the end of the interview. I did feel a little odd paying people for this, but I was able to explain that I had budgeted for this payment and that I truly appreciated their time. Each participant expressed thanks for both my taking time to learn about them and for the money.

Only three of the five participants were willing to attend the group session that was presented as an informal opportunity to share their ideas about learning and education with the other people I had interviewed. At the group session I provided pizza, pop, and another $20 honorarium as incentives and we managed to meet over the lunch hour. In retrospect, the incentives did little to afford confidence to the two people who needed the safety of their own homes for the individual interviews. After each interview and the group session, I drafted notes and recorded answers as I listened to the tapes for the first time. I later had to go back to the tapes at least twice more to get exact quotes. A proper transcription of these tapes would have been worthwhile but not within the budget of this project.