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without evident inhibitions. A more significant issue was the relationship between the
researcher and the interviewee. Hitchcock and Hughes succinctly indicate this as follows:
Interviewers and respondents have identities. They have perceptions of themselves and
each other. This knowledge, of course, varies and changes, as people become more
familiar with each other… We might describe this as the ethnographic context of the
interview, unstructured interview or conversation. (Hitchcock & Hughes, 1995, p.169-
70)
The chart below provides an insight into the relationship between the researcher and the
interviewees. This information is intended to provide a transparent way of indicating whether
it is possible that this could have affected the interview. The ‘movers and shakers’ were
known in a professional capacity, quite closely in a few cases, prior to the interviews. A few
teachers were known before the interviews but this was not generally the case. Most
interviewees had been Heads of History or in History Co-ordinator role over a number of
years and presented themselves in a confident manner. However, two teachers who were
relatively new in their role lacked both confidence and precision in their responses.
Table 2: Summary of interview case studies
Interview
case studies
Features
No
Relationship with
researcher
HMI
Professional contact
SHP Director
Professional contact
Textbook writer
Professional contact
Movers and
shakers
QCA Officer
Two University Teacher Educators
7
Professional contact
Significant professional
contact
LEA Adviser
Significant professional
contact