12 Folklore Interview
Time Requirement: Up to 4 Class Periods.
Learning Objectives
- Students will become familiar with the process and importance of conducting a folklore interview.
- Students will develop skills in writing field notes and creating an index for the interview.
- Students will learn how to analyze and organize folklore data.
Materials:
- Recording devices (audio or video).
- Notebooks and pens.
- Sample interview questions.
- Computer with internet access (for research).
- Index cards or software for creating an index.
Day 1: Introduction to Folklore Interviews
Introduction to Folklore Interviews: Discuss the purpose of folklore interviews and their role in preserving cultural traditions. Explain the importance of field notes and indexing in organizing interview data.
Review of Interview Techniques: Discuss effective interview techniques (open-ended questions, active listening, follow-up questions). Provide sample questions tailored to folklore topics (e.g., local legends, family traditions, community rituals).
Practice Interviewing: Pair up students and have them practice interviewing each other using 3-4 sample questions. Encourage students to focus on asking open-ended questions and taking brief notes.
Class Discussion: Discuss the practice interview experience. Highlight challenges faced and strategies to overcome them.
Day 2: Practice Interview and Field Notes
Planning the Interview: Guide students on selecting an interviewee (family member, community elder, etc.). Discuss the importance of obtaining consent and explaining the purpose of the interview.
Conducting the Interview: Instruct students to conduct their interview outside of class time. Emphasize the importance of recording the interview (if permitted) and taking detailed notes.
Writing Field Notes: Students should be heavily encouraged to write their field notes immediately after the interview while the information is fresh. Provide examples of field notes, highlighting key points and observations.
Day 3: Creating an Index
Introduction to Indexing: Explain what an index is and its importance in organizing and accessing interview data. Show examples of indexes (keywords, themes, categories).
Analyzing the Interview: Instruct students to review their field notes and identify key themes and topics. Discuss how to create index entries for these themes.
Creating the Index: Students create an index for their interview, listing key themes, topics, and corresponding page numbers or time stamps.
Day 4: Presenting and Reflecting on the Interview
Presentation: Students present a summary of their interview, highlighting key findings and insights. Students share excerpts from their field notes and index.
Class Discussion: Discuss the different interviews and what was learned about the diverse folklore traditions. Reflect on the process of conducting the interview, writing field notes, and creating an index.
Feedback and Evaluation: Provide constructive feedback on each student’s work. Discuss ways to improve future folklore interviews and documentation.
Collected Assignments:
- Recorded interview and any photos taken or collected
- Field Notes
- Interview Index
- Interview Release Form
Vocabulary
Field Notes are used for recording your observations, activities, and experiences in the field. Field notes offer a description of the scene, the people, the sensory experience, the thoughts of the person documenting, and any details that stand out as important. Field notes are also a place to reflect on the interview or experience in the days following.
An Interview Index is a table or listing of important topics discussed during an oral history interview. From the Library of Congress: Listen to the recording closely and write down the major points in the order in which they are discussed, being careful to also note the minute and second. Interview indexes are used to quickly find specific information in recorded interviews without requiring the researcher to listen to the entire recording.
Open-ended questions are questions that cannot be answered in one or two words. Open-ended questions usually include key words like “how” or “why” which typically require more detailed answers.
Active Listening includes listening attentively, asking follow-up questions as appropriate, listening to gather information (not to respond), reflecting on what is being said, and retaining that information. Someone engaged in active listening is not likely to interrupt the speaker. Active listening centers the experience and words of the speaker.
Consent is the permission for something to happen or the agreement to do something. Consent should be recorded as part of the audio interview when documenting folklore or gathering oral histories.
Release Form – A formal agreement between interviewer and interviewee of how an interview will be used. This document protects the interviewer when presenting research based on interviews.
Interview Index Example
Title of Interview File – Name of Interview informant and person gathering interview.
| Interview Time Stamp | Topic | Notes |
Sample Interview Index
Boggy Creek Monster documentary, released in 2016, from Small Town Monsters on YouTube
Sample begins at timestamp 48:41 titled on Youtube “Doyle Holmes” and ends at timestamp 52:00.
Boggy Creek Monster Documentary – “Doyle Holmes”
| Interview Time Stamp | Topic | Notes |
| 48:41 | Introduction of Doyle Holmes and location of his home. | Narrator |
| 48:55 | Introduction to Doyle’s “claims” of experience with Fouke Monster; reference to 1973 film | Narrator |
| 50:13 | Beginning of Doyle’s interview with narrator about sighting in “cypress canopy” | |
| 50:25 | 2004 Fishing Story – As sun comes up, Doyle hears a splash | |
| 51:05 | Describes seeing Fouke Monster in water near cypress tree from his canoe | |
| 51:28 | Doyle describes feeling the creature has become aware of his presence | |
| 51:37 | Describes creature as “powerful bipedal animal” size and height | |
| 52:00 | End of Doyle’s story of his encounter |
