Unstructured interview questions

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Learning and Teaching Development Unit Language
Issues in Higher Education Series
Struggles at the Coalface
Early candidature Engineering postgrads at risk
Karen Adams Adelaide Graduate Centre
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His review seems very jumbled and Im unsure
whether this is due to his language skills or
lack of understanding. Some of the questions
he asks me lead me to believe that there is
some obstacle that prevents him grasping the
simple concept of what I am asking him to do.
Again, I cannot determine whether this is a
language matter or lack of technical
familiarity. (Supervisor comment regarding
postgraduate Engineering students writing)
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1. This paper shows a summary of the theory,
introduces the concept with an idealised free
field example and shows how the virtual sensors
perform in an aircraft cabin.
2. An alternative to increasing the size of the
control zone is to minimise the cost function at
the observer rather than at the error sensor
location by virtual sensing, a concept first
introduced by Garcia-Bonito et al. (1996). Their
method was based on measuring the acoustic
pressure transfer function between a permanently
placed remote microphone and a microphone
temporarily located at the observer location.
3. However, for a multi-channel control system,
the maximum attenuation in pressure is still
likely to occur at the sensor location and the
size of the zone of local control is inversely
proportional to frequency (Cazzolato, 1999).
4. Kestell et al. (2000) introduced forward
difference prediction virtual sensors which use
multiple sensors to estimate a trend in the
acoustic field and predict (via extrapolation)
the cost function at the observer location. They
have demonstrated various strategies of error
sensing that not only shift the zone of
attenuated noise towards an observer but combine
the benefits of virtual sensing and energy
density minimisation.
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Success! content problematic
Student text
Supervisor feedback
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Unstructured interview questions

• How did these students prior academic
  experiences prepare them for the writing demands
  of their candidature?

• What problems did these students encounter in
  meeting these demands during the first six months
  of their candidature?

• What strategies did these students use to
  overcome these problems?

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Strategies revealed in interviews and writing

• Clarifying
• Focusing
• Looking for models
• Using current or past ESL writing training
• Managing workload
• Regulating cognitive load
• Managing demands of life

• Using current experience or feedback to adjust
  strategies
• Accommodating teachers demands
• Resisting teachers demands

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Clarifying

• Searching in library for helpful books to extend
  knowledge
• Look for big words, subtitles, pictures and
  diagrams
• Attempt to solve problems alone

• Guidance from supervisors
• Discussion with other students

I asked them supervisors what I should read
and what to avoid. They made suggestions. Still
even suggestions were too hard - especially I
could not determine how the readings related to
my project. I tried to see how they related, but
couldnt (Tariq)
I select interesting titles that might be
helpful. (Louis)
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Focusing

• Attempt to identify elements of project work
  needing greater depth of knowledge

I was looking at a too big picture and not
focusing specifically on the projectIn the
beginning I told myself that if I do not study
the whole things I will not be able to find my
way because my project is related with so many
stuff - even the physics so I am study physics to
see parts that are related. (Tariq) Sometimes
a paragraph is beyond my knowledge so I just
write it. Over time I will absorb this
unfamiliar type of information - for example, if
Im reading some research and dont understand
why an experiment was conducted in a particular
way. (Louis)
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Models and ESL strategies

• Models of English usage to develop language
  skills
• Identify models by terminology similarity
• Avoid translations

Sometimes I appreciate word combinations and
write them in my notes. Sometimes this will mean
I can then write something better. Sometimes
word is out of my knowledge and I learn it for
the first time. When I see something I like,
first I write out in my notebook, then I make
some changesBy the end of the week I put
everything together and then change the writing
to make it smooth by connections. I dont know
if its OK when its finished. (Louis)
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Current feedback and faulty clarifying strategy
This report should contain an abstract, an
introduction, a method, results, discussion and
conclusion. Supervisors instruction
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(No Transcript)
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Draft 3 FEA Report
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Resisting teachers demands
At the end of each stage of work a report is
required and hence the reports are titled Stage
1, Stage 2 etc so that the reports can be
compared with the aims and deliverables for each
stage of work. When reporting on the work, or
including it in a literature review it is
necessary to consider which physical system or
analysis methodologies have been examined. These
are of much more relevance to a reader not
familiar with the work. Titles such as Stage 1,
Stage 2 etc do not convey any information.
(Supervisor)
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Resisting teachers demands
Stage one (Preliminary) was conducted to develop
a numerical model to optimise the design of the
entire deviceThis stage developed a numerical
model for predicting resultsStage one (Final)
was concerned withStage two of this project was
applied the analysis tools developed in stage 1
Supervisor feedback does not appear to have been
incorporated in the final version of
documents. (Supervisor comment on IBP report)
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Other findings from interviews

• Both students
• found transition difficult
• believed their proposals not possible in 6 months

The Research Proposal is very different. I never
had experience before. (Louis) The bridging
program helped you to understand what you had to
write about and how to write it. But I could not
make links between all the parts of my project.
Some parts had very complex mathematical
solutions and I could not get them. (Tariq)
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Successful strategies

• Develop a structured approach to learning and
  writing
• Discussions with other students
• In a multi-staged, larger project, seek
  information on a need to know basis
• Use specific information requirements as a
  trigger to learn more
• Be prepared to stop the clock or extend time

I tell myself Ill do it laterits easy to just
exit my study. International students comment
related to the unstructured environment of
postgraduate study.