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esponse. A common format for the prompts during the early stages will attempt to make it
easier to compare responses. However, it will be necessary to adapt specific questions for
particular individuals, such as ‘movers and shakers’ and teachers involved in specific projects.
Accessibility, cognition and motivation need to be considered when planning interviews
(Khan & Cannell, 1983; Moser & Kalton, 1983, cited in May, 2001, p.128). The first of these
relates to gaps in interviewee knowledge. This can be a problem when dealing with current
perceptions and will almost certainly be an issue when looking at aspects of life histories.
This will be resolved by providing interviewees with prompts before and during the interview
in order to deal with short-term confusion or memory loss, or changing perceptions over time.
Where possible the interviews will be supported by cross-references to documentary
evidence. Providing a prompt sheet to the interviewee and ensuring that questions are
sufficiently open to allow for a range of responses hopefully obviates cognition or
misunderstanding about what is required. In order to provide for comparison a common
format of semi-structured questions will be used in interviews, subject to some qualifications.
Prompts certainly provide an overall structure for the responses although clearly some
teachers will go beyond this. In all interviews asking a mixture of broadly based and specific
questions and the opportunity for interviews to go beyond the schedule will encourage
motivation. However, specific questions will be required for ‘movers and shakers’ and
teachers involved in projects.
The interview analysis is intended to provide evidence of common issues and differences
between people within case studies, as well as comparisons between non-teaching
educators and teachers. The intention is to identify similarities and differences in responses
amongst teachers within and between case studies. At the same time it will be important to
appreciate and analyse individual teacher perceptions in order to investigate specific ways