1 Elder Interview Assessing Perceptions of Aging—Implica

1
Elder Interview: Assessing Perceptions of Aging—Implications
for the Human Service
Professional
Overview:
This assignment is designed to enhance your interviewing skill
set and to help you understand
the perspective of an elder (defined as someone who is 65 or
older) on the aging process and how
they feel about getting older. The questions should increase
your awareness of the aging process
as experienced by your respondent and help you learn how to
build rapport with an elder, and
build the skill set you need if you work with an older
population.
There are three required parts for this assignment for a total
point of 200 points toward your final
grade. Carefully follow the instructions and requirements
provided below.
Part 1: Interviewee Information (10 Points)
Instructions:
You will submit the information about your interviewee. Submit
the following information:
• First name and initial of the last name (e.g., John S.)
• Date and time (when the interview will be conducted)
• Location (where you will be conducting the interview)

Grading:
This is no rubric for this stage. You must provide all the
required information, and then you will
receive either Pass or Not pass grade. If you get a Pass, you will
also get 10 points.
Submission:
Type your interviewee information through the online
assignment submission.
Part 2: Interview and Transcription (40 Points)
Instruction:
You must conduct this interview in person. Please do not
interview a close relative. Ask to
make an audio recording of the interview (do not show the
interviewee’s face). You will have
to transcribe the recording. Please see the transcription guide at
the end of this document. Before
the interview, please have the interviewee sign the consent
form, available at the end of this
document.
Conducting the Interview
Remember, review the questions before you start the interview.
Start the interview by giving
your name, your affiliation, and that you want to learn from the
interviewee how she or he feels
about their family and the aging process. Tell your respondent
that you have a list of questions,
but that she or he can expand on a topic. Set a time limit for
each question (2-3 minutes?) and
stay on schedule.
1. Be sure to write/print out all questions before the interview
and review all questions

before you begin the interview. Think carefully about each one,
and why you are asking
that particular question—that way, if a person does not respond
as you think they might,
you can probe further by asking more questions.
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2. You must be prepared to ask follow-up and probe questions if
your respondent gives one
word or one sentence responses—these are not informative.
a. Example: Question—Do you consider yourself to be “old?”
Answer: “No.” Be
prepared to ask some follow-up questions—for example, do you
think others see
you as “old?” At what age do you think a person becomes old?
Or, “Why did you
answer that way? or “Can you explain what you mean by that?”
b. In some cases, one-word responses might be acceptable—for
example— “How
old are you?”
Take this opportunity to learn how to develop rapport with
someone who is older. Make sure that
your respondent is comfortable. Do not talk about yourself,
unless that is needed to facilitate
the interview.
The Interview Questions
Below please find the list of questions. You may ask additional
questions if your interviewee

says something that interests you or you think is particularly
important to include. Be sure to
note any additional questions.
Begin the interview by telling the interviewee that you want to
get some background information
on them.
Background information
1. What is your age? Where were you born?
2. What is your educational background? Where did you go to
school? What was school
like for you? Please explain.
3. Where did you live when you were growing up? What was
your neighborhood like?
4. Tell me about your family. Do you have brothers and sisters?
How many? How
would you describe your family when you were growing up?
5. How did your family earn money? How did your family
compare to others in the
neighborhood – richer, poorer, the same? How did you feel
about that growing up?
6. What was good about your teen years? What did you enjoy
doing?
7. What was the worst thing about your teen years?
Questions about Adulthood
8. What’s different about growing up today from when you were
growing up?

9. Tell me about two or three meaningful or memorable events
from your life—what
about these events makes them memorable to you?
Aging Attitudes
10. What does the word “old” mean to you?
11. Do people treat you differently today than they did when
you were younger? In what
ways?
12. Do you consider yourself to be old? How do you feel about
these changes?
13. What is the best thing about being your age? Can you
explain your answer for me?
14. What is the worst thing about being your age? Can you
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15. What do you believe are the best years of a person’s life?
Can you explain your
answer for me?
Activities
17. Are you retired or are you still working? (If still working,
ask them why). (If retired,
ask them about their retirement—what is good about it, and
what is bad about it).
18. Was it difficult to adjust to retirement? If so, what made it
hard to adjust? If not,
what made it easier to adjust?

19. What is a typical day like for you? What do you do to relax?
What do you do
differently for relaxation than when you were younger?
20. What, if anything, do you miss about working?
Meaning and the Future
21. Please describe two or three things that give your life
meaning. (What is most
important to you).
22. What advice would you give me about growing older?
Please explain.
24. What concerns if any, do you have about dying?
25. If you could choose to be any age, what would it be? Please
explain your answer.
Transcription Procedures
You should transcribe an individual interview using the
following formatting:
• Times New Roman 12-point face-font
• One-inch top, bottom, right, and left margins
• All text should begin at the left-hand margin (no indents)
• Entire document should be left-justified
Please make sure you download and follow the Qualitative Data
Preparation and Transcription
Procedure.
Grading:
See the rubric for grading criteria.
Submission:

Type your interview note or transcription in a Word document
and submit it through the online
This assignment requires a file upload submission. After you
have reviewed the assignment
instructions and rubric, as applicable, complete your submission
by selecting the Submit
Assignment button next to the assignment title.
Rubric:
Levels of Achievement
Components Exemplary Meets Expectations Developing Not
Acceptable
Transcription
formatting Rules
14-15 points 12-13 points 1-11 points 0 points
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Levels of Achievement
Acceptable
Formatting is error-
free. Document
layout uses the
specified font size,

type face and
margins. All
transcripts are
labeled correctly. No
errors in
transcription
conventions for
pauses, inaudible
information,
questionable text
and names. End of
interview clearly
denoted.
No more than two
errors in either the
layout formatting or
the transcription
conventions for
pauses, inaudible
information,
questionable text
and names. End of
interview clearly
denoted.
Three or four
errors in either the
layout formatting
or the
transcription
conventions for
pauses, inaudible
information,
questionable text
and names.

Multiple errors;
no evidence that
the assigned
transcription
rules were
followed, or
there is no
transcript.
Transcription &
Interview Content and
Accuracy
22-25 points
Submission includes
a verbatim transcript
that always
distinguishes
between interviewer
respondent. The
transcript shows that
the interviewer
presented all
questions on the
assigned interview
in the assigned order
and used probes
only for open-ended
questions. Clear
evidence of probes
and follow-up
questions as needed
to clarify meaning
for the open-ended
questions. No

unapproved
additions to the
questionnaire.
18-21 points
Submission includes
a verbatim transcript
that mostly
distinguishes
between interviewer
and respondent. The
transcript shows that
the interviewer
presented all
questions on the
assigned interview,
with no more than
one deviation from
the assigned order.
Some evidence that
probes were used to
clarify open-ended
question responses.
No additions to the
questionnaire. No
unapproved
additions to the
questionnaire.
1-17 points
Submission
includes a
verbatim transcript
that may not
distinguish
between the

interviewer and
the respondent.
The transcript
shows that one or
two questions
were not presented
to the respondent.
Several questions
are taken out of
order. Little
evidence of probes
or follow-up
questions for the
open-ended
questions. One or
more unapproved
questions are
added to the
questionnaire.
0 points
Multiple errors;
no evidence that
the assigned
transcription
rules were
followed, or
there is no
transcript.
Part 3: Final Report (150 Points)
Instructions:
Your final report must meet the following requirements:

1. Be in APA format. This means:
a. Double spaced throughout.
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b. Separate title page. Paper titles must be descriptive and help
the reader understand
the focus of the paper. Create a running header—this will
appear on the title page
as well. Include your name, affiliation, the title of the class, and
the due date.
c. Separate abstract page. The abstract must be 200 words (show
the word count for
the abstract on the abstract page). It should contain information
from the
introduction, the main body of the paper, and the conclusion.
d. Headings are used to divide the paper into sections (recall
that APA does not use
the word “Introduction” for the first part of the paper). The
introductory section of
your paper should explain
i. The purpose of the paper.
ii. Need to understand elders to advocate for them
iii. Benefits to those in Human Services
iv. What you will discuss in the remainder of the paper.
e. Methods and procedures section should address the following
information:
i. Explain the method you used to gather information
(interview; open-ended

questions, how many, etc.), and discuss its advantages.
ii. Explain how you conducted the interview—face to face,
recorded or
transcribed, how much time, etc.
f. The results section should present the questions and the
respondent’s answers.
g. The analysis and interpretation section should:
i. Look for trends or important patterns—are there major
changes over the
person’s life? How and in what ways have activities changed for
the
person? Does the person see him/herself more negatively? Does
the person
see him/herself as “old?”
ii. Apply an appropriate theory to help you interpret the
answers—for
example, role theory or Erickson’s Psychodynamic theory,
disengagement
theory or activity theory. Explain why this theory is the best for
your
interview.
h. The discussion section should:
i. Review the major findings from the preceding section.
ii. Discuss the importance of these findings for Human Services
professionals—how does understanding the elder help you
become a more
effective advocate?
iii. Discuss your personal reaction to what you learned from the
interview at

the end of your report (what did you learn in general about
interviewing an
older person? what did you learn about aging? did the
interviewee
conform to stereotypes about aging?
iv. Discuss what you learned from the process as an
interviewer? What would
you do differently next time?
i. The conclusion should review the purpose of the paper,
briefly discuss the
interview, your major findings/analysis/interpretation etc.
2. This project should be a minimum of 1,800 words. Please
show the word count for the
entire paper at the end of the document.
3. Use only scholarly sources. This means you may not use any
tertiary source—this
includes, but is not limited to Study.com, About.com,
CliffNotes.com, Wikipedia. You
may not use Psychology Today, or any publication that is like
Psychology Today. Do
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not use Chron.com. Do not use any blogs (the word “blog” will
appear in the URL).
You may use any government website.
a. If you are unsure about a source, consult with your instructor.
4. Use neutral, objective language.
5. Check for grammar and spelling errors, organization, flow,

and development of ideas.
6. Cite a minimum of three sources other than your textbook.
Grading:
See the rubric for grading criteria.
Submission:
To make sure that your work is original and meets the
assignment requirements, be sure to
follow the steps below:
1. Submit the paper through the online assignment submission.
2. Review the similarity report. If your similarity score is more
than 20%, you must revise
your paper and resubmit it until the score is below 20%.
3. Review the ETS (grammar and spelling) report and make the
necessary correction
before the final submission.
4. Submit your final report through the online assignment
submission.
Submit your final report in a Word document through the online
Rubric:
Level of Achievement
Acceptable

Title and title
page format
5 points
5 points
Professional, not
clichéd. Clearly
indicates the problem
and focus of study. All
required elements of the
title appear on a
separate title page in
proper APA format.
4 points
Gives a general
description of question
and work performed.
Professional, not
clichéd. One element of
APA style title page is
missing or title page
merges with remainder
of the document.
1-3 points
Title not clearly
descriptive of the
problem. Maybe
clichéd or uses
hyperbole. More than
one element of APA
style title page
missing.
0-points

Not present or title
page not in APA
format.
Abstract
10 points
9-10 points
Provides clear
statement of focus for
the study and the way
data/information was
gathered. States major
findings and
conclusions. Is 175-200
words.
7-8 points
Is missing one
component of good
abstract. Abstract is not
well organized or
concise. Too long or
too short.
1-6 points
Is missing two
components of a
good abstract. Does
not give an overview
that leads directly to
the reader being able
to state the major

findings of the study.
Too long or too short.
0 points
Is missing three or
more components of
a good abstract. Is
not written in a
scientific style.
Includes references
in abstract. No
abstract provided.
7
Acceptable
Introduction
10 points
9-10 points
Presents an interesting
thesis statement. Data
used to support thesis
import. Study
description and purpose
clear and easy to
follow.
8 points
Presents an interesting

thesis, but thesis needs
more data or
information to support
it. Study description
and purpose is
relatively clear but
reads more like a
summary.
1-7 points
Is missing one or two
components of a
good introduction.
Contains irrelevant
information.
Importance of study
unclear.
0- points
No introduction.
Method and
Procedures
15 points
14-15 points
Provides an objective,
complete and accurate
description of the
methods and procedures
in the study. The survey
and interview
methodology are
overviewed. Presents
information on subject

recruitment and
selection.
12-13 points
Provides an objective,
accurate, but somewhat
incomplete description
of the survey and
interview methodology
and procedures used for
the study. Presents
information on subject
recruitment, inclusion
criteria.
1-11 points
Methodology
description is
incomplete.
Procedures are
incomplete. No
discussion of survey
or interview; subject
selection needs more
explanation.
0 points
No methods
section.
Results of
Interview
&Analysis
50 points
45-50 points

Interview results are
presented in a rich,
well-developed
thematic format.
Several respondent
quotes used to illustrate
the themes.
40-44 points
Interview results are
moderately detailed.
Some evidence of
themes, commonalities
and differences in the
interview data. One or
two quotes from
respondent to highlight
themes.
1-39 points
The interview is
lacking in detail.
Results indicate that
answers are mostly
yes and no or not
elaborated. Little
evidence of thematic
presentation.
0 points
No results section.
Discussion/Limit
ations &
Conclusions

15 points
14-15 points
Thesis restated. Clear
overview of what was
done in the paper. Clear
evidence of the
significance of the
interview.
Limitations of the
methodology are clearly
noted. Clear connection
to the Human Services.
12-13 points
Thesis restated. Clear
overview of what was
done in the paper. Clear
evidence of the
significance of the
interview. Limitations
of the interview are
clearly noted. Connects
somewhat to the
Human Services.
1-11 points
Thesis is not restated.
Overviews what was
done but does not
relate to the Human
Services. No mention
of limitations.
Significance of
interview is not clear.

0 points
Conclusions are
stated without
sufficient reference
to the results that
support it. Lacking
several of the
characteristics of a
good discussion.
Citations &
References
20 points
19-20 points
All quoted and
paraphrased
information correctly
cited. All cited sources
present. All references
are formatted correctly.
All are scholarly.
17-18 points
Most quoted and
paraphrased
information correctly
cited. All cited sources
present and in required
format. No false
references. References
1-16 points
Most cited sources
present, generally in

required format.
References relevant
and appropriate. One
or two non-scholarly
sources. Some
0 points
No or few sources
are properly
credited either in in-
text citations or
references. Many
non-scholarly
sources
8
Acceptable
relevant and
appropriate. All are
scholarly.
evidence of false
references.
Grammar and
mechanics
15 points

14-15 points
Paragraphs are well
organized. Logical
organization of
paragraphs (especially
introduction, results and
conclusions). No
grammatical errors,
typos or misspellings.
Appropriate word
selection. Correct use of
scientific terms.
13-14 points
Most paragraphs are
well organized. Logical
organization of
paragraphs (especially
introduction, results and
conclusions). Two or
three grammatical
errors, typos, and
misspellings may be
present. Some word
usage errors (effect vs.
affect). Some misuse of
scientific terms.
1-12 points
Several problems
evident with
organization and
flow. More than three
grammatical or
spelling errors.
Several instances of

word usage errors.
0 points
Paper lacks well
organized
paragraphs. Sections
do not contain
information
presented in a
logical order. Many
grammatical errors.
Many word usage
errors (e.g., effect
vs. affect). Many
misuses of scientific
terms.
Formatting
10 points
9-10 points
All components in the
appropriate format; size
12 font. One-inch
margins on all four
sides of the page; all
text double-spaced. No
instances of extra
spacing.
All required sections of
the paper in correct
order, including the
appendix. All headings
are used per APA.

7-8 points
Most components of the
required format are
followed. One instance
of extra spacing. All
required sections of the
paper in correct order,
including the appendix.
One heading is not
APA style.
1-6 points
Multiple departures
from APA
formatting. Spacing
may be off in
multiple places or the
appendix is missing.
Multiple heading
errors.
0 points
No evidence of
required format.
Text is single-
spaced or is triple
spaced in many
places.
Sources:
The interview questions were adapted from SV Bosak, the
Legacy Project online at

http://www.legacyproject.org/guides/lifeintquestions.pdf;
MacNeil, R. (2008) “Aging Matters”
syllabi and Great Questions from Story Corps online at
https://storycorps.org/great-
questions/#grandparents
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Consent Form for Interviews
Purpose of the research: To understand the experience of aging
What you will do in this research: If you agree, you will be
asked to participate in one
interview. You will be asked several questions about your
perceptions of the aging process. You
also will be asked some demographic background questions.
With your permission, I will audio record the interview so I
don't have to make so many notes.
You will not be asked to state your name on the recording.
Time required: The interview will take approximately [ ] hours.
Risks: No risks are anticipated.
Benefits: This is a chance for you to tell your story about your
experiences concerning aging.
Confidentiality: Your responses to interview questions will be

kept confidential. At no time will
your actual identity be revealed. The recording will be
destroyed when my final paper has been
graded.
Participation and withdrawal: Your participation in this study is
completely voluntary, and
you may refuse to participate or withdraw from the study
without penalty
Agreement:
The nature and purpose of this research have been explained and
I agree to participate in this
study. I understand that I am free to withdraw at any time
without incurring any penalty.
Signature: _____________________________________ Date:
__________________
Name (print):
________________________________________________
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1
Elderly Interview (Part2)
09/21/2022

Date:09/21/2022
Name of Interviewer: Sheena
Transcriber: Douglas R.
I: Before we begin the interview itself, I’d like to confirm that
you have read and signed the informed consent form, that you
understand that your participation in this study is entirely
voluntary, that you may refuse to answer any questions, and that
you may withdraw from the study at any time, OK?
P: Yes ma'am
I: Do you have questions before we proceed?
P: No
I: What is your age?
P: Um 81 years old
I: Where were you born?
P: I was born in Manhattan NY

I: OK
I: What is your educational background?
P: I have a college degree a bachelor and business
I: OK
I: Where did you go to school?
P: New York University
I: What was school like for you? Please explain.
P: Oh, four years of education learning basic English,
mathematics, geography. I guess school school was any other.
I: OK
I: Where did you live when you were growing up? What was
your neighborhood like?
P: neighborhood was calm played on the streets with my friends
came home when the lights came on lived with my family and
my sister my brother’s dad come home working family I would
say.
I: Ok
I: Tell me about your family. Do you have brothers and sisters?
How many?
P: Two brothers one sister, I'm the middle child.
I: How would you describe your family when you were growing
up?
I: How did your family earn money?
P: My dad worked in sales, my momma she did uh housework
cleaning I don't know what you call it running errands and uh
doing stuff for the neighborhood.

I: How did your family compare to others in the neighborhood –
richer, poorer, the same?
P: I’d imagine we were the same as everybody else in the
neighborhood
I: OK
I: How did you feel about that growing up?
P: It was quick, I grew up pretty fast
I: OK
I: What was good about your teen years? What did you enjoy
doing?
P: I use to enjoy going to the bowling alley it was this bowling
alley down the road. I used to go with my friends and every
weekend after school towards the weekend we go there listen to
music go bowling and I had a blast.
I: OK
I: What was the worst thing about your teen years?
P: I lost my dog; I love my dog. Um he was a Labrador and
umm it hurt my heart. It got ran over by a car that was very sad,
best thing in the world
I: I'm sorry to hear
Questions about Adulthood
I: What’s different about growing up today from when you were
growing up?
P: All this technology that you know you got these phones these
smart tablets computers we had none of that. Heck when I made
phone calls, I had a Rotary phone well don't have all the fancy
buttons but I say technology today it's it was all easy back in
my day.
I: Tell me about two or three meaningful or memorable events
from your life—what about these events makes them memorable

to you?
P: Oh, I say one of the biggest things was watching the moon
launch seeing the astronauts go to the moon everybody eyes was
on the TV. I think that was just so incredible of basically doing
what we did back then even now we didn't go back to the moon
so that's what I say was a chalk up for us as far as achieving
good old technology and here sorts.
I: Any other memorable events?
P: Well not that I can really recall. Other than graduating from
high school and getting that acceptance letter to college
I: OK
Aging Attitudes
I: What does the word “old” mean to you?
P: It means a lot of winkles, to be about my age you start losing
count how many winkles you got how much hair you lost and
how many teeth you can manage. but ah old is just one of life
ways of saying your doing things right to be here another day
and to be thankful.
I: Do people treat you differently today than they did when you
were younger? In what ways?
P: Oh yeah nobody takes me serious anymore back when I was
in my prime, I say I was listening to more taken serious more
I've been lucky to ask for a glass water not get any heap of
trouble whatever sort of.
I: Do you consider yourself to be old? How do you feel about
these changes?
P: Oh, I guess being oldest is the way it perceived it sometimes
I feel like I'm young other times I feel like I'm very old so I
guess it really depends on the mood and time of day.
I: OK
I: What is the best thing about being your age? Can you explain
your answer for me?

P: Best thing about being my age as the discounts on computer
going to the movie theaters couple perks of here and there are
food what sort take advantage of the discounts but other than
that that's really about it.
I: What is the worst thing about being your age? Can you
P: Back pain I feel all joints I feel like I got joints that I didn’t
even know I had joints that’s how much pain I go through
I: wow
I: What do you believe are the best years of a person’s life? Can
you explain your answer for me?
P: I say the best years of a person life is there 20s do everything
you can in your twenties
I: OK
Activities
I: Are you retired or are you still working? (If still working, ask
them why.) (If retired, ask them about their retirement—what is
good about it, and what is bad about it.)
P: Oh, I’m retired
I: ok what is good about it and what is bad about it
P: Good about my retirement is I can get up when I whenever I
want to and what bad about it is if I get up to late, I waste the
day.
I: Was it difficult to adjust to retirement? If so, what made it
hard to adjust? If not, what made it easier to adjust?
P: nah not at all it was pretty easy one day they told me I can’t
work here anymore and I decided to retire.
I: ok
I: What is a typical day like for you? What do you do to relax?

What do you do differently for relaxation than when you were
younger?
P: I read my newspaper read my books try to move around
I: what did you do differently for relaxation than when you were
younger?
P: I tried to listen to a little bit more music and watch a little
more tv
I: ok
I: What, if anything, do you miss about working?
P: Just the accomplishments of feel like I'm doing something
and helping people out.
I: OK
Meaning and the Future
I: Please describe two or three things that give your life
meaning. (What is most important to you.)
P: helping people making them smile and just overall being a
better person than I can.
I: What advice would you give me about growing older? Please
explain.
P: Stop worrying about tomorrow and live for today
I: What concerns if any, do you have about dying?
P: That I haven't accomplished enough
I: If you could choose to be any age, what would it be? Please
explain your answer.
P: I say if I had to choose any age, I would have to pick the age
of 23 and the reason behind that was the year I graduated
college I felt like it was one of the best highlights of my life
and to relive that moment would just be very incredible
I: OK

END OF INTERVIEW
I: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
P: No not at all.
I: Well, thanks for taking the time to talk with me today. I
appreciate it.
P: Well, thank-you very much you have a very good day.

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