Interviewing Hispanic Residents

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Interviewing Hispanic Residents
Christina Vasquez Case, Ph.D. Director,
Alianzas/UME/UMKC-IHD UMKC Institute for Human
Development 2220 Holmes Street, Third
Floor Kansas City, MO 64108 (816)
235-1768 casecv_at_umkc.edu
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Discussion

• The DOs and DONTs of interviewing Hispanic
  households
• Ways to gain cooperation
• Cultural sensitivity
• Social interactions with individuals in their
  households
• Questions

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Dos for Interviewing Hispanic Households

• Use established agencies and organizations to
  help you gain leads to conduct interviews
• Spend time to gain the trust of those you want to
  interview
• Spend time in the community where you are
  conducting the interviews
• Let others who have already interviewed spread
  the word that its safe to participate

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Donts to Consider When Interviewing Hispanic

• Ask a Hispanic person if they have legal
  documents
• Expect the Hispanic person to provide their
  signature
• Wear a suit but dress professionally
• Rush the interviewee to get answers
• Use terms the interviewee may not understand
• Assume the person youre interviewing knows how
  to read
• Linger outside a persons place of residence

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Ways to Gain Cooperation

• Visit establishments that Hispanic residents
  frequent
• Churches
• Restaurants
• Events
• Latino Centers
• Establishing trust in the Hispanic community is
  the best way to gain cooperation. By working
  with people who have already established trust,
  new relationships may develop.

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Cultural Sensitivity

• Definition sensitivity or insensitivity of a
  human, often considered with regard to a
  particular kind of stimulus, is the strength of
  the feeling it results in, in comparison with the
  strength of the stimulus. The concept applies to
  physical as well as emotional feeling.
• Sensitivity
• 1. Rapid perception with the senses, reacting to
  small changes.
• 2. Reacting appropriately to the emotions or
  situation of other people tactful.
• 3. Readily getting hurt or upset.
• 4. A person with sensitive skin, which easily
  becomes painful or enflamed.
• 5. A person believed to have paranormal or
  parapsychological perception.

Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_(
human)
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Parillos Culture Reality Model
Environment

• Each individual observes
• the world through sense
• perceptions, which are
• evaluated in terms of
• culture values, attitudes,
• customs, and beliefs.

Culture
Individual
Source Parillo, Strangers to these Shores, 2000,
p. 31.
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Cultural Awareness

• Not all Hispanics
• are of Mexican decent
• Speak, read and/or write Spanish
• are illegal
• are Catholics
• lack a formal education
• have large families
• get along with each other

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Social Interactions with Individuals in their
Households

• Wait until youre invited into a household before
  entering
• Treat people with respect regardless of
• Dont be surprised if
• Youre offered something to eat or drink
• Children play where the interview is conducted
• There are several adults in the household
• Always thank the interviewee(s) for information
  shared and their time

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Summary

• DOs and DONTS when interviewing Hispanics
  residents
• Ways to gain cooperation by making full use of
  established organizations
• Cultural sensitivity vs. Cultural awareness
• Interactions in the household
• Questions