Free «Interview Plan» Essay

Data collection phase is one of the most important steps in any research process. The success of any investigation depends on the quality of data (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015), and latter relies on the success of the collection tool. This section will look at an interview plan of a study which aims at finding the success of using assistive technology with disabled and non-disabled students in Saudi Arabia.

Target Population

The research aims at interviewing a sample of 40 respondents comprising of 20 teachers and 20 students from S1 and S2. There will be 20 teachers with 10 of them coming from the first school (S1) and the other ten from another school (S2). The ten respondents from S1 will comprise of 2 (6.67%) special educators, 1 (3.33%) head teacher, and 7 (23.33%) teachers. The 10 (33.33%) students from S1 will constitute of 2 (6.67%) non-disabled students, 2 (6.67%) visually impaired students, 2 (6.67%) hearing impaired students, and 3 (10.00%) students with multiple disabilities. The ten teachers from S2 include 4 (13.34%) special educators, 1 (3.33%) head teacher, and 5 (16.65%) teachers. S2 students will consist of 2 (6.67%) non-disabled students, 3 (10.00%) visually impaired students, 1 (3.33%) hearing impaired students, 2 (6.67%) mentally retarded student, and 2 (6.67%) students with multiple disabilities. The nationalities of teachers from S1 will be 6 Syrians, 5 Saudis, 4 Kuwaitis, and 5 Egyptians. The nationalities of the teachers from S2 will be 5 Saudis, 6 Syrians, 3 Kuwaitis, and 6 Egyptians.

Research Questions

Below are the research questions which the researcher will ask the respondents.

1. What types of the disabilities exist in the integrated schools of Saudi Arabia?
2. Are AT devices available at their schools?
3. What are the use and acceptability rates of AT tools among the students and the teachers?
4. Is there awareness of various AT tools among the students and teachers in these schools?
5. What are the challenges of using these AT tools and the tips to counter these challenges?

Interview Protocol

The data collection process will be conducted in two stages. The first stage will target the teachers, while the second one will concentrate on the students. The teachers and students will be informed in advance so that they can be psychologically ready for being questioned. The researcher will use Skype in administering the questionnaire, but the respondents not available on Skype will be sent the questionnaire by email. After sending the survey, the respondents are expected to confirm that they have received it and send it back within seven days. The questions will be sent again to those involved who did not receive the email or those who did not send the confirmation within two days. Those participants failing to confirm their participation within five days will not be a part of the survey.

Time and Place of the Interview

The interview is set to take place during the month of May, and it will continue for 14 days starting from 1st of May. Since it will be conducted through Skype and email, the respondents can answer the questions at the comfort of their homes.

Reason for the Interview

The researcher will conduct the interview because it is the most appropriate method of data collection for this particular study. Other methods of data collection are not viable here.

Method of Data Collection

After the questionnaires are filled either by the interviewee (during Skype interview) or by the respondent (during email interview), the researcher will enter the raw data in Excel using the actual words and phrases of the respondents. Then, the analyst will clean the data waiting for further analysis.

Sampling Plan

According to Cohen, Manion & Morrison (2013), the simple random sampling method is the best sampling technique because it ensures that the pattern is a true representative of the population. Therefore, this research will use random sampling in getting its results. The sampling will take place in two phases. The first phase will involve picking the sample of twenty teachers from the selected schools. In the second stage, a random sample of twenty pupils will also be taken from the two schools.

In conclusion, it is clear that this study has a research plan which is very time-saving and cost-efficient. Also, this project is set in such a way that it will produce high-quality data. Therefore, the researcher should ensure that he follows the plan rigorously.