Interviews
Good interviews have four parts:
Sample Interview Questions
Chosen Word: Education
Focus: What is the value of education in contemporary American Society? Is education viewed simply as a means to attain a high paying job, or is it seen as a tool to help better understand ourselves and the world in which we live?
Interview One: Garland Drew, Father-in-law, self-made man, CEO of nat’l corporation, no college education
Interview Two: Michelle Day, English Teacher, taught k-12 over the course of her career
General Interview Questions:
Question specifically for Mr. Drew:
15. What has your education, both formal and informal, contributed to your success in business? Which, do you think, has been more helpful to you?
Question specifically for Mrs. Day:
15. What do you most value about education and how does this value contribute to your choice to be a teacher?
Types of questions NOT to ask:
Remember to find a quiet place directly after your interview to go back and fill in more information that you didn’t have time to write during the interview. Also, don’t forget to have your interviewee sign your question sheet in your journal.
Don’t forget step four! Thank your interviewees immediately AND send a thank you note.
- Making contact with your interviewee
- Preparing for the interview (coming up with questions)
- Meeting with your interviewee
- Following up on your interview
Sample Interview Questions
Chosen Word: Education
Focus: What is the value of education in contemporary American Society? Is education viewed simply as a means to attain a high paying job, or is it seen as a tool to help better understand ourselves and the world in which we live?
Interview One: Garland Drew, Father-in-law, self-made man, CEO of nat’l corporation, no college education
Interview Two: Michelle Day, English Teacher, taught k-12 over the course of her career
General Interview Questions:
- Define the word “education.”
- What do you think is the primary purpose of education?
- What kind of education is most important: formal classroom education or experiential life lessons?
- How important do you think education has been in the success of this country?
- Who do you admire more, a well-educated man with a broad understanding of the world, or a wealthy, self-made man with little formal education? Why?
- Do you think a democracy can function healthily without a well-educated populace?
- If you had the power, what subjects would you emphasize in schools today and why? Also, what subjects would you de-emphasize and why?
- What do you think is most lacking in education today?
- What is the most important thing you ever learned? What did that knowledge do for you?
- What kinds of problems do you think a lack of education causes in this country?
- What kinds of problems does education cause in this country?
- Is all learning good?
- What’s one thing you wish people would learn to do?
- What’s one thing you wish they had never learned to do?
Question specifically for Mr. Drew:
15. What has your education, both formal and informal, contributed to your success in business? Which, do you think, has been more helpful to you?
Question specifically for Mrs. Day:
15. What do you most value about education and how does this value contribute to your choice to be a teacher?
Types of questions NOT to ask:
- Is education a good thing?
- Do you think education is valuable?
- Tell what you think of when you hear the word “education”?
- Did you hate your teachers?
- How did you feel about your school as a teenager?
- Should education be fun?
- Do you think education has contributed to the world?
Remember to find a quiet place directly after your interview to go back and fill in more information that you didn’t have time to write during the interview. Also, don’t forget to have your interviewee sign your question sheet in your journal.
Don’t forget step four! Thank your interviewees immediately AND send a thank you note.