Interview Assignment

Approx 4 – 5 pages(includes Title page & Reference page)

All papers are graded on writing, grammar & APA format (up to 10 points may be deducted)

Choose ONE individual from ONE of the following life stages for your interview:

• Young Adulthood (20 to 40) – Ch 7
• Middle Adulthood (40 to 65) – Ch 8
• Late Adulthood (65 and older) – Ch 9 (you will receive 5 extra points if you interview someone over 80!)
  • This individual can be from your own family or a friend.
  • Remember to explain to them that this is for an assignment for class.
  • You may have to look ahead to the chapters related to the age of the individual you interview..

            During the interview, ask your selected individual the following questions:

1. “What do you like best about being your age?”
2. “What do you like leas t about being your age?”
3. “What changes do you foresee in your life in the next five/ten years?” (If over 80 say “in a few years”)
4. “What do you think are the three most important things in your life at this time?”

Assignment Format (50 points)

Title Page – see SAMPLE TITLE PAGE on moodle (same as Annotation Title page)

Introduction  (use as a heading & underline)

Include subject’s first name and age and which life stage they fall under. Write a complete physical description of this person as well as any additional background information of this person so I get to know them better. Describe your relationship with this person. Include a detailed physical description of the setting/environment of your interview.                                                                                                                                       10 pts

Four Questions (Use each question as a heading, underline, number & retype each question)

You must ask all four questions. You will be graded on the quality of each answer. All responses must be written in the first person. Include appropriate follow up questions as needed to gain more information and clarification (so I understand better) such as: Can you give me an example of that? Explain what you mean by that? Tell me more about that. That’s interesting; can you give me more detail? ETC

Remember, the depth of these responses are critical – otherwise you won’t have material to connect to theories and frameworks in our textbook in the analysis section.                                                                                 20 pts

Analysis(Use as a heading and underline)

After your interview, read through the chapter corresponding to that individual’s life stage, and link two of their responses to two different theories or frameworks. Use detail when describing. Number each of them

(Theory # 1, Theory #2) in two separate paragraphs. If the theory has a theorist attached, please include the name. Repeat in quotations (”        ” ) exactly what they said to you in the interview and relate it to what is stated in Discovering the Lifespanby Robert Feldman (You will be quoting the textbook here). Use correct APA citation citing the page # in our textbook..

In a third paragraph, comment on your perspective & opinion on whether your subjects responses seemtypical or atypical for their particular life stage? And, explain if you were you surprised or not surprised by any of their responses to these question?                                                                                                                             20 pts

1. …

Interview AssignmentPaper details:

For this project, you will interview four individuals from adolescence to old age. You will ask them questions that pertain to their age and place in the life cycle.

To have a successful outcome for this project, it will be important to have interesting subjects for your interviews. Try to select individuals that are engaging and easy to talk to. You will need to interview four individuals, one from each of the following age categories:

• An adolescent (12 – 18)
• A young adult (18 – 40)
• A middle-aged adult (40 – 65)
• An elderly adult (65+)

You are allowed to interview one family member but the remaining individuals should be outside of your family. The reason for this is to insure that you will receive a variety of perspectives and receive a diverse range of responses.

For each interviewee, you should ask a minimum of 10 questions. The theme of these questions should relate to Erik Erikson’s theory of bio-psychosocial development and the focus that people have in the various life stages.

Example:
Erikson states the adolescence period as “Identity vs. Role Confusion”. During adolescence the transition from childhood to adulthood is most important. Children are becoming more independent and begin to look towards their future in terms of career, relationships, families, housing, etc. The youth wants to belong to a society and fit in. This is the major stage in development where the child has to learn the roles he or she will occupy as an adult. It is during this stage that an adolescent will re-examine his identity and try to find out exactly who he or she is.
Questions you could ask:
• What is the biggest goal you wish to complete in the future?
• What is your favorite thing about yourself?
• What is your least favorite thing about yourself?
• If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
• What is the most difficult part of being a teenager?
• What makes you feel accomplished?
• How do you think people think of you?

Format of Interview:
Include the questions in your report in one of two ways narrative form or question/answer format. My preference is to use narrative form, as it is usually easier to read.

After each interview do an analysis of how each individual does or does not fit the description that Erikson assigned to their place in the life cycle.

For your conclusion, discuss your personal reaction to what you learned from the interview at the end of your report.
• How did you feel during the interview?
• Was this a comfortable setting for you?
• What did you do to insure the interviewee was comfortable in answering questions?
• What could you have done differently?
• Were there any tense moments from topics you discussed? Describe the incident and how you resolved it.
• What did you learn?
• What was the most surprising piece of information you learned about your interviewee?
• What did you learn in general about interviewing another adult?