EDUC 817 Field Notes Interview Instructions For this assignment, you should interview two individuals who have earned a doctorate degree in the field of education (either a Ph. D or an Ed. D). You should use the Interview Templates document provided in the Assignment Instructions folder to conduct your interview and record the subjects’ responses. The interview can be conducted in person or through videoconferencing (with a tool like Skype). Whichever method you choose to use for the interview, be aware that both interviews must be audio recorded for official transcription. It is important to test the audio equipment prior to conducting the interview because the transcription is a required element for the interview. You will submit both interview transcriptions (as recorded in the Interview Templates document) in Module/Week 7; however you must conduct AT LEAST ONE INTERVIEW by the end of Wednesday of Module/Week 5. By interviewing individuals who have already completed the dissertation process for the field of education, you will have the opportunity to become acquainted with one data collection method while simultaneously increasing your understanding of the dissertation process. Thus, as you look for candidates to interview, it would be helpful for you to interview individuals with degrees similar to the one you are pursuing. Below are some helpful details that you will need to know when preparing for and conducting the interviews. You should also review the Interview Templates document and the grading rubric for a more thorough understanding of the assignment. The following is a list of some typical doctoral degrees for the field of education: · Curriculum & Instruction · Reading · Education Administration · Teaching & Learning · Adult Education · Educational Counseling · Education Leadership · Education Psychology · Literacy & Learning · TESOL · Special Education · Science Education Likewise, the following list gives you some examples of the job positions that your candidates may hold: · Principal · Professor · Guidance counselor · Superintendent · Coordinator · Specialist · Teacher Request an interview with your chosen candidates by reading the following information verbatim: “I am a graduate student and would like the opportunity to ask you some questions about the dissertation process. I would be taping the interview for transcription and submitting these notes to my college professor. Can we set up a time?” EDUC 817-- Navigating the Dissertation Process Interview Templates Interview #1 General Information Questions Date Month: Day: Year: Time Start time: End time: Location (If face-to-face; leave blank if via videoconferencing) Method (E.g., face-to-face or through Skype videoconferencing) Your Name Your Email Participant Demographics Current Age Gender Race/Ethnicity Occupation Full or Part time Degree Earned (E.g., PhD.

1. EDUC 817
Field Notes Interview Instructions
For this assignment, you should interview two individuals who
have earned a doctorate degree in the field of education (either
a Ph. D or an Ed. D). You should use the Interview Templates
document provided in the Assignment Instructions folder to
conduct your interview and record the subjects’ responses. The
interview can be conducted in person or through
videoconferencing (with a tool like Skype). Whichever method
you choose to use for the interview, be aware that both
interviews must be audio recorded for official transcription. It
is important to test the audio equipment prior to conducting the
interview because the transcription is a required element for the
interview. You will submit both interview transcriptions (as
recorded in the Interview Templates document) in Module/Week
7; however you must conduct AT LEAST ONE INTERVIEW by
the end of Wednesday of Module/Week 5.
By interviewing individuals who have already completed the
dissertation process for the field of education, you will have the
opportunity to become acquainted with one data collection
method while simultaneously increasing your understanding of
the dissertation process. Thus, as you look for candidates to
interview, it would be helpful for you to interview individuals
with degrees similar to the one you are pursuing.
Below are some helpful details that you will need to know when
preparing for and conducting the interviews. You should also
review the Interview Templates document and the grading
rubric for a more thorough understanding of the assignment.
The following is a list of some typical doctoral degrees for the
field of education:

2. · Curriculum & Instruction
· Reading
· Education Administration
· Teaching & Learning
· Adult Education
· Educational Counseling
· Education Leadership
· Education Psychology
· Literacy & Learning
· TESOL
· Special Education
· Science Education
Likewise, the following list gives you some examples of the job
positions that your candidates may hold:
· Principal
· Professor
· Guidance counselor
· Superintendent
· Coordinator

3. · Specialist
· Teacher
Request an interview with your chosen candidates by reading
the following information verbatim:
“I am a graduate student and would like the opportunity to ask
you some questions about the dissertation process. I would be
taping the interview for transcription and submitting these notes
to my college professor. Can we set up a time?”
EDUC 817-- Navigating the Dissertation Process
Interview Templates
Interview #1
General Information Questions
Date
Month: Day: Year:
Time
Start time: End time:
Location
(If face-to-face; leave blank if via videoconferencing)
Method
(E.g., face-to-face or through Skype videoconferencing)
Your Name
Your Email
Participant Demographics
Current Age
Gender
Race/Ethnicity

4. Occupation
Full or Part time
Degree Earned
(E.g., PhD in Special Education; or Ed.D in Teaching &
Learning)
Time to degree Completion
(Length of time from entering to defending dissertation)
Type of Program
(E.g., Fully online; fully residential/on campus; blended/hybrid)
Full or Part time Student
Financial Assistance
(E.g., scholarship, fellowship, assistantship, etc.)
Year Completed
Interview Questions
Below each question, transcribe the participant responses
verbatim. If you feel the need, ask clarifying or probing
questions to elicit more depth or understanding of the issue
(e.g., “Can you provide an example?” Or, “Can you tell me a
little more about that experience?”).
Entry and Coursework:
1. Why did you decide to pursue a doctoral degree?
2. What challenges, if at all, did you experience during the
coursework phase of your doctoral degree?
3. How did you address these challenges?
Beginning the Dissertation:
4. Please describe your transition from the coursework stage of
your doctoral degree to the dissertation stage.
5. How does the dissertation phase of the degree differ from
coursework?
6. How did you select your dissertation topic and method?
7. What advice do you have for doctoral students with regard to
choosing a topic and method?

5. 8. What advice do you have for doctoral students with regard to
entering the dissertation phase?
Chair and Committee:
9. Please describe how you identified your dissertation chair
and committee.
10. Please describe your relationship with your chair and
committee members during your dissertation and your
relationship with them now.
11. Please describe the mentorship or support you received from
your chair and committee.
12. What advice do you have for doctoral students with regard
to selecting and working with a chair and committee?
Dissertation Proposal:
13. Please describe your experience in the proposal
development stage of your dissertation.
14. What challenges did you face while developing your
proposal and how did you address them?
15. Please describe your experiences applying for Institutional
Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct your research.
16. What advice do you have with regard to the IRB?
Data Collection and Analysis:
17. If applicable, please describe your experiences collecting
and analyzing data for your dissertation.
18. What advice do you have with regard to preparing for data
collection and analysis?
Final Defense:
19. Please describe how you prepared for your final defense.
20. Please describe your final dissertation defense.
21. To what do you attribute your persistence to complete your
doctorate?
Summary:
22. Looking back across you whole doctoral journey, what were
your greatest challenges?
23. What supports or strategies do you attribute to your
success?
24. Please describe the role(s) of your family and peers during

6. the doctoral process.
25. What can individuals do to ensure they are able to persist to
completion?
26. What can institutions do to foster persistence in doctoral
students?
27. What final words of advice do you have for individuals
contemplating beginning a doctoral degree with regard to
persisting through coursework and the dissertation?
28. Is there anything else related to this topic you would like to
add?
Reflective Notes
Please write out your thoughts and observations while
conducting this interview. What surprised you? What responses
could you personally identify with? Track your running
thoughts and observations by typing them in the box below.
Interview #2
General Information Questions
Date
Month: Day: Year:
Time
Start time: End time:
Location
(If face-to-face; leave blank if via videoconferencing)
Method
(E.g., face-to-face or through Skype videoconferencing)
Your Name
Your Email
Participant Demographics
Current Age
Gender

7. Race/Ethnicity
Occupation
Full or Part time
Degree Earned
(E.g., PhD in Special Education; or Ed.D in Teaching &
Learning)
Time to degree Completion
(Length of time from entering to defending dissertation)
Type of Program
(E.g., Fully online; fully residential/on campus; blended/hybrid)
Full or Part time Student
Financial Assistance
(E.g., scholarship, fellowship, assistantship, etc.)
Year Completed
Interview Questions
Below each question, transcribe the participant responses
verbatim. If you feel the need, ask clarifying or probing
questions to elicit more depth or understanding of the issue
(e.g., “Can you provide an example?” Or, “Can you tell me a
little more about that experience?”).
Entry and Coursework:
1. Why did you decide to pursue a doctoral degree?
2. What challenges, if at all, did you experience during the
coursework phase of your doctoral degree?
3. How did you address these challenges?
Beginning the Dissertation:
4. Please describe your transition from the coursework stage of
your doctoral degree to the dissertation stage.
5. How does the dissertation phase of the degree differ from
coursework?

8. 6. How did you select your dissertation topic and method?
7. What advice do you have for doctoral students with regard to
choosing a topic and method?
8. What advice do you have for doctoral students with regard to
entering the dissertation phase?
Chair and Committee:
9. Please describe how you identified your dissertation chair
and committee.
10. Please describe your relationship with your chair and
committee members during your dissertation and your
relationship with them now.
11. Please describe the mentorship or support you received from
your chair and committee.
12. What advice do you have for doctoral students with regard
to selecting and working with a chair and committee?
Dissertation Proposal:
13. Please describe your experience in the proposal
development stage of your dissertation.
14. What challenges did you face while developing your
proposal and how did you address them?
15. Please describe your experiences applying for Institutional
Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct your research.
16. What advice do you have with regard to the IRB?
Data Collection and Analysis:
17. If applicable, please describe your experiences collecting
and analyzing data for your dissertation.
18. What advice do you have with regard to preparing for data
collection and analysis?
Final Defense:
19. Please describe how you prepared for your final defense.
20. Please describe your final dissertation defense.
21. To what do you attribute your persistence to complete your
doctorate?
Summary:
22. Looking back across you whole doctoral journey, what were
your greatest challenges?

9. 23. What supports or strategies do you attribute to your
success?
24. Please describe the role(s) of your family and peers during
the doctoral process.
25. What can individuals do to ensure they are able to persist to
completion?
26. What can institutions do to foster persistence in doctoral
students?
27. What final words of advice do you have for individuals
contemplating beginning a doctoral degree with regard to
persisting through coursework and the dissertation?
28. Is there anything else related to this topic that you would
like to add?
Reflective Notes
Please write out your thoughts and observations while
conducting this interview. What surprised you? What responses
could you personally identify with? Track your running
thoughts and observations by typing them in the box below.
EDUC 817
Field Notes Grading Rubric
Criteria
Levels of Achievement
Content 70%
Advanced
Proficient
Developing
Not present
Points
Main Interview
70 to 75 points

10. All general information is thoroughly completed for both
interviews; there is evidence of effective dialogue in both
interviews.
66 to 69 points
Most of the general information is present for both interviews;
effective dialogue is mostly evident in both interviews.
1 to 65 points
General information for 1 or both interviews is incomplete;
presence of effective dialogue lacking in 1 or both interviews.
0 points
Not present
Researcher’s Thoughts Section
28 to 30 points
Researcher’s thoughts during and after the interview is well
documented in both transcripts.
26 to 27 points
Researcher’s thoughts during and after the interview is
documented in both transcripts.
1 to 25 points
Evidence of researcher’s thoughts during and after the interview
is lacking in 1 or both transcripts.
0 points
Not present
Structure 30%
Advanced
Proficient
Developing
Not present
Format
23 to 25 points
Both interviews are completely and thoroughly written out
verbatim and in a readable, transcription form that utilizes the

11. interview template document provided.
20 to 22 points
Both interviews are somewhat complete, mostly written out
verbatim, and mostly in a readable, transcription form that
utilizes the interview template document provided.
1 to 19 points
One or both interviews are incomplete, not written out verbatim,
are not in a readable transcription form, and/or are not in the
interview template document provided.
0 points
Not present
Spelling and Grammar
19 to 20 points
Both interview transcripts contain no spelling or grammar errors
(outside of those attributable to the verbatim text of the
interviewees).
18 points
One or both interview transcripts contain minor spelling or
grammar errors (outside of those attributable to the verbatim
text of the interviewees).
1 to 17 points
One or both interview transcripts contain pervasive spelling or
grammar errors (outside of those attributable to the verbatim
text of the interviewees).
0 points
Not present
Professor Comments
Total: