Appendix: Interview Protocol

Thanks for being part of the research. This is the first time we have tried something like this, so your help was important. We hope to continue this kind of research in the future. This time, we were interested in learning three things:

1. How deaf and hearing students can work together online (or “over the Internet”)
2. If working on The Palace can improve learning
3. If instructional conversations like this can improve written language

I want to ask a few questions to help us figure out what worked best. I’m taping our conversation so that later I can write down exactly what you said.

1. What did you think of the astronomy activity?
2. How do you feel about doing this kind of activity online? [If the student doesn’t know the word online -- “Online means using the Internet to communicate with other people.”]
3. What were the positive and negative things about the activity?
4. What did you think about using The Palace?
5. What did you contribute and what did your pair member contribute? [If the student doesn’t know the word contribute -- “Contribute means the information you gave.”]
6. How did [the online teacher] help you with your discussions online?
7. How did you change your writing during the activity?
8. What influenced your writing?
9. Would you do this kind of activity again if you had the opportunity?
10. What other comments (or ideas) do you have about the activity?

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From “Using a Graphical Online Chat Environment to Foster the Written Language Development of Students Who Are Deaf” by Barbara R. Schirmer and Albert L. Ingram
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted July 2003