The Interview Process

The Climate Witness interviews were semi-structured, and at times in-depth and exploratory allowing for spontaneity and the opportunity for participants to explore their personal experiences, perceptions, thoughts and emotions of connectedness to nature, their observations of changes that they have observed in the nature and the impact if any these changes in nature have had, on their personal health and wellbeing and the health and wellbeing of those around them and in their community (Serry & Liamputtong, 2013).

In arranging the Climate Witness interviews, the organisation of suitable times and places was challenging, as many potential participants lived in rural and remote areas, such as the North East, Flinders Island in Bass Strait and the West Coast of the state, which required significant distances to be travelled. As a result the researcher was required to undertake extensive travel to rural and remote parts of Tasmania for some of the interviews.

There was a notable difference between interviews conducted in participant’s homes and those conducted outside participant’s homes. Participants who were interviewed at home were more relaxed and the interviews tended to go for longer. Often other members of the family were present or came and went and in some cases neighbours and friends called in. Participants who were interviewed outside the home were provided with time to settle into relaxed conversation. Following the initial greeting these participants were offered a cup of tea/coffee and there was generally some ‘small talk’ around the weather or location in which they lived. This was necessary to gain the trust of the participant and to support the interview process.

Interviews took place during field visits between April 2013 and October 2013 at mutually convenient times for the participant and the researcher. Locations of the interviews included participant’s homes, University Teaching Sites, or LINC (libraries, online access and adult learning facilities) meeting rooms and Community Health Centres and recorded using a Livescribe Smart Pen.

Interview participants included 15 females and eight males, reflecting the greater number of women than men who completed the initial survey. Interviewees ranged in age from 38 to 86; the average age of participants was 60 and the median age of participants was 63.

Background information on the study, and participation as well as consent forms was provided to the interviewees (See Appendices F and G). The researcher explained that her preference was to record interviews to allow her to fully engage in the interview process and so not be distracted by taking notes. Participants were also asked for their consent to record the interview and given the opportunity to ask questions or seek clarification about their involvement in the study. They were then asked to read and sign the consent form.

In keeping with in-depth interview methods, as described by Serry and Liamputtong (2013), the researcher created a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere for the interview by allowing sufficient time for introductions. The researcher introduced herself, including her aims and interest in the study and reflected with the participant on why they had chosen to participate in the study. Time was also spent in general social conversation around such things as the area in which they lived and the weather. The researcher was also cognisant of ensuring that her linguistic style met those of individual participants and paid attention to nuances of voice, tone, silence, and verbal and nonverbal expressions. A mental note was taken of synergies between the participant and the researcher, which later provided points of reference for expanding the interviews. With respect to duration, the interviews went for between fifty minutes and two hours.

As stated above, the first section of the Climate Witness process required participants to complete a short questionnaire on climate observations, changes in nature, and health impacts on themselves and their communities.

The second section of the Climate Witnessing process involved interviewing participants who were highly connected and related to nature and experiencing elevated levels of climate state anxiety. Participants were first invited to tell the interviewer a little about

themselves, where they lived and worked, and what they did for recreation. This was important as it gave the interviewer an idea of the length of time the participant had been observing and experiencing change. Participants then told their story of their observation of climate and weather, the changes they had observed in nature, and the consequences of those changes. The remainder of the interview focused on the Climate Witnesses detailing personal experiences of climate change and climate driven phenomena in their local area as well as their personal experiences of connectedness to nature and health impacts on themselves and their communities.

At the conclusion of the interview the researcher spent some time, separately, reflecting on the interview process and recording field notes about the interview and how it had proceeded. The researcher also reflected on the questions that had been asked and how the participants had responded to them. At times the researcher left feeling confronted by what had been said and was challenged by what participants had said as they had unknowingly challenged her worldview. In some instances, the field notes captured the emotion of the interview and document the palpable sense of delight, anger, disillusionment, powerlessness, grief and loss expressed by the participants. At times during the interviews, there had been moments or laughter and tears and the researcher had left the interview feeling overwhelmed and sat and cried; at other times the researcher left feeling concern for the emotional well-being of the participant and their physical safety.

Even now, months after the completion of the interviews, there is a welling of emotion when reflecting back on this phase of the research.