Phase 6: Parent Interviews

The parent interviews were designed to provide in-depth information on the specific experiences of gifted children and their families from the perspective of parents who were most intimately related to the gifted child. Each interview provided the researcher with an opportunity to request the parent elaborate and clarify information they had written in their pre-interview questionnaire. This process would contribute a meaningful and complementary view of the experiences of the gifted child through the ‘lens’ of the parent.

Following receipt of the pre-interview questionnaire, the parents who agreed to participate in the follow up interview were contacted by phone and given the opportunity to choose a time and date that would be most suitable. Confidentiality was guaranteed to the parent to encourage them to express themselves honestly and openly. It was anticipated that each interview would take approximately forty-five minutes; however, this would vary depending on the depth of information provided by the participants. All participants agreed to the interview recorded on an IC-recorder and understood that this would be transcribed. Transcriptions have provided an accurate account of the interviews and are the main source of data in this study and ready for analysis.

Interviews with the parents were designed to provide them with the opportunity to discuss in detail the experiences of their gifted child and family in relation to identification and characteristics, planning and programming of educational experiences, and the role of support services. During the interview the researcher regularly checked with the parent whether their ideas had been interpreted correctly by the researcher. After reviewing the responses from the parent pre-interview

questionnaire, more specific questions in relation to these responses were prepared so as to provide opportunities for parents to explain in more depth or elaborate on their written response. The interviews also provided the opportunity for the researcher to clarify meaning of the parent’s written responses.

An interview guide consisting of both specific and open ended questions based on the information provided in the pre-interview questionnaire were related to the focus areas, particularly in relation to the parent’s perception of their child’s experience as a gifted child (see appendix 11). There were twenty eight open ended and specific questions included in the interview guide, however, not all questions were asked during the interviews when sufficient detail was provided by parents in the pre-interview questionnaire. The researcher predicted the pre-interview questions would serve only as a

‘guide’ and therefore, the questions chosen would be in response to comments in the parent’s pre-interview questionnaire, areas of particular interest to the study, and responses that the researcher felt needed clarification when explaining the experiences of the gifted children in the case study.

The intention of the interview was to understand the parent’s perspective of their gifted child’s experiences, as well as the influence these experiences had on their family. It was predicted that the parents and their gifted children may provide both contrasting and supporting responses to these questions.

Prior to the interview, parents were also asked if they would be able to provide other evidence or supporting material that may assist the researcher in presenting a rich and detailed description of both the gifted children and their families’ experiences. Samples of work, approved photographs and educational or assessment records have been supplied by several of the participants.

3.11.7 Phase 7: Family Support Person or Specialist Pre-interview Questionnaires The Family Support Person or Specialist pre-interview questionnaires were distributed to the participants nominated by the parents of the five case study children. A range of people were nominated by the parents of the case study child and included a grandmother, three family friends, a teacher, and a maternal health nurse. The pre-interview questionnaire was attached to a letter outlining the purpose of the study and also instructions to return the questionnaire in the stamped envelope provided within two weeks of receiving it. Reminder phone calls or emails were made to participants who had not returned the questionnaire in the two week period. Following receipt of the

completed pre-interview questionnaires, the researcher telephoned the participants to thank them for their detailed and informative responses and to make an interview that would be mutually convenient.

The Family Support Person or Specialist pre-interview questionnaire was designed to provide another perspective on the experiences of the gifted children in the study. The same questions were asked of the Family Support Person or Specialist that had been asked of the parents (see appendix 12). This was done to provide opportunities for validating information from several different sources and to help make it more manageable when comparing and analysing their responses. Attached to the pre-interview questionnaire was a letter outlining the purpose and intention of the pre-pre-interview

questionnaire so as to assist Family Support Persons and Specialists’ understanding of the purposes of the research and to assure them that there are no right or wrong answers (see appendix 7).

The pre-interview questionnaire consisted of a front cover requesting general details related to name, qualifications, occupation, and telephone number. It also requested the participant to tick the box indicating how many years they had been associating with the focus child and their family, and also whether they are a professional working with other age levels. As with the parent pre-interview questionnaire, it was divided into 3 sections – the first section related to identification and characteristics of the focus child and gifted children, the second section related to planning and programming of educational experiences of the focus child and gifted children, and the third section related to the support services for the focus child and other gifted children.

At the beginning of each section the Family Support Person or Specialist was requested to rate themselves along a continuum from very poorly informed to very highly informed in regards to their knowledge of these three focus areas. This aspect provided a comparison of the perceived levels of knowledge of all Family Support Persons or Specialists and was qualified by a question requesting information on how this may have been attained. The researcher predicted that the level of

experience of the participants would inform discussion in relation to the influence this knowledge may have on the experiences of the gifted child. Following the rating scale, Family Support Persons

or Specialists were asked to tick and discuss further where they had gained their particular level of knowledge in the related area. Open ended questions provided the opportunity for the participants to elaborate on the focus child’s experiences by including more detailed personal examples and

explanations supporting their responses.