IV. Issues in Oral History Research

IV. Issues in Oral History Research

How Accurate Is This Oral history?
Note of Encouragement
Pinpointing Problems in Your Interview
Questions for Thinking About Your Interview

How Accurate Is This Oral History?

Once a project is under way, we need to assess and ensure the accuracy of the data gathered. We have to face the question: how accurate is this oral history? At the very least, we must be aware of the limitations of oral history in order not to mislead ourselves into believing that oral history automatically yields accurate renditions of past events.
Because oral history depends upon living people as sources, we have limits; we can go back one lifetime. Because oral history uses spoken, not written sources, the allowable evidence expands. Even in the absence of written documentation, we need to be able to record immigrant histories .

W need to consider the inherent weaknesses of oral history. How do we anticipate the failing of human memory? We all know the tricks that memory plays on us, even just trying to recall what happened last week. In recalling memories from a long-ago event, how closely do the memories of the narrator approximate a true rendering of the actual experience?

Questions of accuracy are not unique to oral history. Problems of accuracy hound us no matter what sources of historical data we use. If we understand the characteristics of our sources, however, we have a better chance of controlling the process to minimize inaccuracies. As a methodological balance to oral history, we will enlist other sources of data such as related artifacts, written documentation, and other interviews. A single interview by itself can pose frustrating questions, while an interview in a context of other data can clarify details and create a sense of the whole.

Note of Encouragement

At this point, some people feel overwhelmed. Don't worry! As long as you are aware of the pitfalls, you will be fine. Proceed step-by-step, discover the problems, and work through to the solutions. At the end of an oral history project you will understand the challenges from the inside-out, and you will always look at historical documents of any kind with a wider eye. When in doubt, keep it simple. Part of the process is enjoyment and part of the adventure is learning from mistakes.

Pinpointing Problems in Your Interview

The interviewee...

1. is afraid of the recording equipment.
2. doesn't believe she has anything of value to tell you, and doesn't understand why you would want to interview her.
3. doesn't remember.
4. has a series of stock stories that he has developed and is used to telling, almost according to a script. This interviewee is not about to let you deviate from his script.
5. is not used to telling her or his story publicly and needs much coaxing and reinforcement. This person needs questions to get warmed up and more questions to keep going.
6. does not feel comfortable talking to you about the topics you have in mind.
7. meanders through the story, and not according to the beginning-middle-end model that you have in your mind. The memories have a form other than linear time and you have to figure out how to allow the narrator to tell these memories in a way that makes sense to both teller and listener.
8. is afraid to give private or personal information and thus gives you information that will preserve his or her public "mask."
9. prefers or is used to building and sharing a story with others in a group rather than telling a story solo.

The interviewer...

1. is too nervous to think calmly and clearly about what to say next.
2. is disorganized.
3. is not really listening to what the interviewee is trying to say.
4. has expectations about what she or he wants to hear and is closed to other avenues of inquiry.
5. appears critical to the interviewee.
6. is from a different class or ethnic group than the interviewee and so is behaving and speaking in a socioeconomic "foreign language."
   

The sound...

1. is too faint.
2. contains noise that overrides or confuses the voices.
3. has more than one person speaking at once.
4. is distorted.
   

Questions For Thinking About Your Interview

1. How did we choose the person to be interviewed? Were the people we interviewed the right ones for my research?
2. How did I prepare for the interview? Did I prepare enough?
3. What did I use for equipment? Did it work satisfactorily? What changes should I make?
4. What kinds of questions did I ask? What kinds of questions worked well? Not so well?
5. Where did I conduct the interview? What in the environment affected my interview? How?
6. Did my subject want to talk? How did I encourage my subject to talk? What "masks" did my subject wear? Did my subject drop the masks?
7. When did I tell my subject the purpose of the interview and how it would be used? Did my plans to use the interview seem to matter to the subject?
8. How accurate were my subject's memories?
9. How accurate was my subject's reporting of her memories? How do I know? Does it matter?
10. Who controlled the interview? How?
11. How did I feel while interviewing?
12. How did my subject feel while being interviewed?
13. Would it be useful and possible to return for another interview?
14. How do these results affect my original goals? Do I need to adjust my research design?
15. Next time, what would I do the same? What would I do differently?

III. Managing Paperwork

III. Paperwork
Interviewer's Field Notes
Life History Forms
Release Forms
Tracking Your Progress

Interviewer’s Field Notes

Very soon after the interview, the interviewer should sit down and make notes in an organized fashion, before time dulls the details. The interviewer's notes tell who, what, when, and where. They add anything that will help to understand the interview. Since this project is in a school setting, we will need to create a form to fit our particular projects' needs and goals.

Life History Forms

The life history form can contain very little or a great deal of information depending on each subject. Personal data is very useful and particularly recommended since the interview is of historical importance and will be archived for future use. The form needs to contain information that helps future viewers to understand, use, and interpret the interview. Aside from interviewee's name, address, telephone number, birthdate, and birthplace, the form might ask for the names, birth dates, and dates of death for parents, siblings, spouses, and children. It could ask for places lived in as well as for education and work histories. It could ask for listings of special skills and for memberships in organizations.

Release Forms

Release forms can become rather full of legal-sounding language, but that is something we will not be creating on our own. Release forms make it clear to the interviewee, without question, how the interviews will be used, minimizing the chances for misunderstanding. While we will not have to consider how the form looks, we will certainly need to be sure we have obtained one for each subject. In addition to offering some protection, release forms are also reminders that we have been granted the privilege of using something that does not belong to us. A release usually includes the interviewee's name and signature, the interviewer's name, the date, a statement of permission to use the interview, the name of the person or institution receiving the permission, and the purposes to which the interview will be put. Especially if the interviews are to be archived for future use, the interviewers also need to sign releases. For us, this means your parents or guardians will sign.

Tracking Your Progress

Depending on the project goals and archival plans, the paperwork can get quite involved or it can stay simple. A simple system to keep track of the stage of each interview is to keep a file for each interviewee. All paperwork and copies of the recordings are kept there. A sequence of steps to track progress is listed on the front of the file and checked off as steps are completed.

II. Important Guidelines

II. Guidelines

Oral History Reminder List
How Do I Ask the Questions?

Oral History Reminder List

1. Decide your research goals and determine how this oral history will help you reach them. You may find that your goals change, however, focus on the task at hand and follow the guidelines.
2. Conduct preliminary research using non-oral sources (internet, archival documents).
3. Define your population sample. How will we select the people you will interview? Contact potential interviewees, explain your project, and ask for help.
4. Assess the equipment that will fit our purposes. Research the kind of recording equipment available and become familiar with its use.
5. Use an external microphone for better sound quality. This also applies to video.
6. Test your equipment beforehand and get to know how it works under various conditions.Practice using your equipment before you go to the real interview.
7. Compile a list of topics or questions.
8. Practice interviewing.
9. Make a personalized checklist of things you must remember to do before, during, and after the interview.
10. Verify your appointment a day or two before the interview.
11. On the day of the interview, give yourself extra time to get there.
12. Interview and record in a quiet place. When setting up, listen for a moment. Make adjustments, such as stopping the noisy ticking clock in the background, putting out the dog that’s barking noisily in the next room, and closing the door on the noisy traffic.
13. Make sure the interviewee understands the purpose of the interview and how you intend to use it. This is not a private conversation.
14. Start each recording with a statement of who, what, when, and where you are interviewing.
15. Listen actively and intently.
16. Speak one at a time.
17. Allow silence. Give the interviewee time to think. Silence will work for you.
18. Ask one question at a time.
19. Follow up your current question thoroughly before moving to the next.
20. Usually ask questions open enough to get "essay" answers unless you are looking for specific short-answer "facts."
21. Start with less probing questions.
22. Ask more probing questions later in the interview.
23. Wrap up the interview with lighter talk. Do not drop the interviewee abruptly after an intense interview.
24. Be aware of and sensitive to the psychological forces at work during the interview.
25. Limit interviews to about one to two hours in length, depending on the fatigue levels of you and your interviewee.
26. In general, don't count on photos to structure your interview, but you can use them as initial prompts. Feel free to ask the interviewee to prepare artifacts for viewing.
27. Label and number all recordings immediately.
28. Have the interviewee sign the release form before you leave
29. After the interview, make field notes about the interview.
30. Write a thank-you note.
31. Have a system to label and file everything.
32. If the interviewee allows you to borrow photos, copy them immediately and return the originals. Handle all photos by the edges and transport them protected by stiff cardboard in envelopes. Make photocopies for an interim record.
33. Copy each interview to a hard drive. Store the original in a separate place and use only the duplicate.
34. Transcribe or index the recordings. Assign accession numbers to recordings and transcripts. Make copies of all work. Store separately.
35. Analyze the interview. Verify facts. Compare your results with your research design. Did you get what you need? What further questions do the interview results suggest? What improvements in your method do the interview results suggest?
36. Go back for another interview if necessary.
37. If you decide to, give the interviewee a copy of the recording or transcript. Ask for transcript corrections and a release form.
38. Make provisions for long-term storage.

How do I ask the questions?

1. In general, have a list of topics in mind, not specific questions, word-for-word, and not a specific sequence. You may, however, want to have a start-up list of questions to get your interviewee and yourself comfortable before you change to your topic list.
2. Do plan the topic and form of your first substantial question after the "settling down" phase. Ask a question that will prompt a long answer and "get the subject going."
3. Ask easy questions first, such as brief biographical queries. Ask very personal or emotionally demanding questions after a rapport has developed. End as you began, not with bombshells, but gently with lighter questions.
4. Ask questions one at a time.
5. Allow silence to work for you. Wait.
6. Be a good listener, using body language such as looking at the interviewee, nodding, and smiling to encourage and give the message, "I am interested."
7. If necessary, use verbal encouragement such as "This is wonderful information!" or "How interesting!" Be careful, however, not to pepper the interview with verbal encouragement such as "uh-huh," said at the same time that the interviewee is speaking.
8. Ask for specific examples if the interviewee makes a general statement and you need to know more. Or you might say, "I don't understand. Could you explain that in more detail?"
9. Ask for definitions, and explanations, and spellings if necessary, of words that the interviewee uses and that have critical meaning for the interview. For example, ask a horseman what he means by the shaft of the buggy. How was it used? What was its purpose?
10. Rephrase and re-ask an important question several times, if you must, to get the full amount of information the interviewee knows.
11. Unless you want one-word answers, phrase your questions so that they can't be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." Don’t ask, "Were you a farmer on Denny Hill during the 1930s?" Ask stead, "What was it like farming up on Denny Hill during the 1930s?" Ask "essay" questions that prompt long answers whenever you can. Find out not only what the person did, but also what she thought and felt about what she did.
12. Ask follow-up questions and then ask some more.
13. Be flexible. Watch for and pick up on promising topics introduced by the interviewee, even if the topics are not on your interview guide sheet.

I. Introduction to Oral Histories

I. Introduction

Just Do It
What is an Oral History?
Sequence For Oral History Research

Just Do It
We all have stories to tell, stories we have lived from the inside out. We give our experiences an order. We organize the memories of our lives into stories.

Oral history listens to these stories. Oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences. Memories of everyday people, not just the rich and famous, have historical importance. If we do not collect and preserve those memories and those stories, then one day they will disappear forever.

The stories of immigrants who have come to this country for a better life are unique, valuable treasures for society to collect. You and your fellow students can discover and preserve unwritten history large and small. Oral history is so flexible that people of all ages can adapt the techniques of asking and listening to create and learn about history and historical narratives.
As a door into the world of oral history, the pages contained within this blog will give basic suggestions for collecting and preserving the valuable oral treasures around you, to enrich you and future generations.

Many people become concerned about "doing it right," yet they also recognize that a voice or image on tape is better than nothing at all. So they try just a simple interview, just talking to someone for an hour. Ten years later such people are thankful that they made the effort, and those who did not …well, they have regrets.

I hope that these pages will encourage you on this journey to take the time and make the effort! GOOD LUCK!

What Is Oral History?
Oral history is the systematic collection of living people's testimony about their own experiences. Oral history is not folklore, gossip, hearsay, or rumor. In oral history projects, an interviewee recalls an event for an interviewer who records the recollections and creates a historical record.

event -->> interviewee -->> interviewer -->> historical record

Oral history depends upon human memory and the spoken word. The means of collection can vary from taking notes by hand to video recordings.

Oral history, well done, gives one a sense of accomplishment. Collecting oral hist0ry, we have a sense of catching and holding something valuable from the receding tide of the past.

Sequence for Oral History Research

1. Formulate a central question or issue.
2. Plan the project. Consider such things as end products, equipment, purpose, evaluation, group dynamics, and time frames.
3. Conduct background research.
4. Interview.
5. Process interviews.
6. Evaluate research and interviews and cycle back tostep 1 or go on to step 7.
7. Organize and present results.
8. Store materials archivally.