Assignment Two: Analysis of cross-cultural client interview
Weighting 40%
Length 3000 words (10% above or below 3000 word limit allowed. So the range is strictly between2700 and 3300 words).
The purposes of this assignment are to assist you to reflect on your cross-cultural communication skills and to improve your knowledge and understanding of another culture.
Option 1: Critical analysis of an interview with a client from a culture different to your own. ( I AM (WHITE) AUSTRALIAN AND I WOULD LIKE TO DO AN INTERVIEW WITH AN AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL PERSON )
To complete this option you will:
-conduct an interview with a client from a cultural background different to your own
-critically analyse your interview process and techniques, including reflection on areas of strength and strategies for improvement
-use a reflective practice framework eg Gibb’s (1988) Reflective Cycle Model to guide your writing
-use appropriate peer reviewed professional references (published within the last 5 years preferable) to support your points.
-It is NOT meant to be a detailed description about the review of body systems. The focus of your analysis must be the various cross cultural elements incorporated or which could have been incorporated in your approaches to the interview and interview techniques rather than the actual interview content.
-If your interviewee gives permission, audio or video tape your interview
(with permission of course!) and use the tape to review your interview
techniques and prepare your assignment.
-Compare and contrast your interview techniques eg; your use of appropriate cross-cultural approaches, with those recommended in the literature and learning materials.
NB: The interview summary and analysis should emphasise the processes and techniques from a cross-cultural point of view, using literature to illustrate and support your points. In order to provide a clear analysis, compare and contrast your practice with the research-based recommendations. How did you or did you not address the research recommendations? Be explicit. Use appropriate peer reviewed professional references to support your points.
Tips:
Use your report to analyse your interview process and techniques.
In order to provide a clear analysis, compare and contrast your assessment, with the process and techniques described in the literature. How did you or did you not address the areas and strategies in the literature? Be explicit. Use a range of literature to support your points.
Use a reflective model to help guide you beyond superficial observations into deeper reflection on what went well, what could be improved and how you will improve your future practice.
Refer to the marking guide to help you structure this assignment.
Health Assessment in a Bio/Psycho/Social Context
University name:
Date:
Introduction
This comprehensive analysis is a demonstration of my interview with a client who is an Australian aboriginal person and the process is principally a qualitative research approach with the view to ascertaining the cross cultural differences in health (Diller, 2011). At the core of the cross-cultural interview process is the way in which different health conditions affect people of different cultures in Australia. The interviewing process is a complementary initiative towards the evaluation of patient with a view to collect the relevant data in order to understand impact of culture on health as well as the interviewing process and techniques in the context of cultural difference. This analysis adopts the use of a semi-structured interviewing process and technique with a view to evaluating the impact of cultural variations on the aboriginal Australians within the context of a culturally distinct health portfolio.
The Interviewing Process and Techniques
At the core of the interviewing process is the choice of the interview method to be employed into used and the use of a randomly semi-structured technique is adopted for this evaluation of the processes between a physician and a client (Tran, 2016). It is important to understand that even though it may seem that interviews are at the very basic a simple process of relaying the relevant questions to the client and reception of the responses, there is a lot more to the entire process especially in the area of health. Indeed, the interviewing process involves the putting into use of a proper health language as well as development of the right assumptions to justify the end of the process. Principally, the interview with Joseph who is the client and also an aboriginal was tailored to meet the following objectives:
a) To help in a comprehensive appreciation of the feelings and perceptions of the participant in order to contextualize the realities of cultural variations on health. The process also sought to understand the inner attitudes and thought processes of the participant with a view to obtaining a clear comparison with the rest of the different cultures on how health varies from one group to another.
b) The health life realities from the interview with Joseph were shown through the use of interpretations of the language context as well as other physician reflections and representations made after the interview.
c) The interviewing process appreciated the fact that whatever was revealed in the process was only situational knowledge and understanding of Joseph as a representation of the health among the culturally different people. In view of this, the situational knowledge obtained from Joseph would definitely be subject to further variations given a different health context and this is duly captured under the evaluation of the interviewing process and techniques on the client.
d) The primary aim of the qualitative design of the interviewing process with Joseph is that the process aimed at a comprehensive appreciation of the techniques used for the interview and the nature of response obtained from the participant.
e) The interviewing process was a data generation initiative with a view to gathering data for analysis of the way health varies amongst people of different cultural inclination in the country. Principally, Joseph as the interviewer played a health reflexive function within the process for further interpretation of the available data.
The Interviewing Process
After a careful observation as I relayed my point on the experience I had and my opinion on the impact of the different Australian cultures on individual health, an aboriginal client, Joseph agreed to engage in the process. He asserted that his genuine belief is that the cultures of the groups of people are essentially distinct from each other (Tran, 2016). In light of this, Joseph believes that the culture is a critical factor in the determination of the health of the different group of people in the country. This explanation quickly got my attention as other previous interview participants had offered a similar explanation to this. I had previously met other aboriginal persons who gave a similar response and in a bid to understand the formation of this thought pattern and idea generation, I invited Joseph to participate in the interview, and he accepted the offer.
Interview thematic areas and the chosen participants
My choice of the cross-cultural differences as a key thematic area affecting individual health in Australia among the different people was based on the commonality of the thought and ideas from most aboriginal individuals (Fortune, Reid & Miller, 2013). This was a pragmatic viewpoint that informed the choice of the theme for the interviewing process because the availability of the participants is a limited affair. Moreover, the thematic areas for interview that directly reflect on my research area were also limited and the fact that Joseph had something to relay about health and culture was an inspiration to observe the interviewing process and techniques. In view of this, it was made clear to the client that to enhance the ethical and professional angle of the interview and the entire process, the participant would be watched by the interviewer in order to make him appreciate the usefulness of the venture and to enjoy the process as well. My invite to different aboriginal persons had previously been turned down and the identification of Joseph and his willingness to fully participate in the process was an important move for the study of the techniques and the interviewing process in general.
Relevant questions for the Interviewee
My interviewing plan was made up of a tripartite approach to interview and the thematic questions were structured in a very simple way to ensure a clear grasp by the participant. Principally, the first part of the questions consisted in a general recap of our previous conversation with Joseph with a view to helping the client to reflect on the thematic area of cultural impacts on health in the interview. After the confirmation and additional explanation by Joseph on his previous response about the cross cultural differences and their effects on health, I would process to repeat the question I asked previously. Simply put, I would ask Joseph, “…what exactly did you mean by I think we should have a different set of trainings for the varied cultural backgrounds on healthy living in our initial discussion?” My objective towards asking this question is that I hoped that it would stir up Joseph’s mind about the context of our previous discussion and to help him bring in more facts to the interview. Moreover, the question was intended to help the participant in the clarification of his own expression as well as the interpretation of the useful techniques for our observation during the interview process.
Secondly, I explained to Joseph that the main question for the interview process was on the notion that culture hugely impacted health of persons among the Australian cross-cultural groups. Specifically, the question sought to introduce an understanding on the formation and growth of the belief that the aboriginal persons experienced more health challenges. In order to observe more techniques during the process, I would relay further questions to Joseph in line with the replies he had offered in order to explore more on his point of view. This would be the scenario until the point where the client satisfactorily responds to the questions or the physician forms the opinion that the participant has exhausted to question. Thirdly, before coming to an end of the interview, I would render a polite invite to the participant for him to offer some comments on whether he believes that the different cultural backgrounds within Australia share some common facilities. In particular, I would ask Joseph if the aboriginal Australians share certain trainings and healthcare facilities and if he perceives so, he would further comment on the difference in health among different cultures within the country. Under the comments section, my expectation would be that Joseph should comment on the notion of healthy living that is seen in the different cultures as well as the difference in the cultural philosophies.
Recording
Permission to record the interviewing process by use of videotape and other media devices was duly granted by the client. The ultimate choice of the method and device used in recording was based on the available equipment for the process as well as the manner and method that would be used for the data evaluation and critique (James, 2015). The focus here was that Joseph would be developing a reflection of our previous conversation through his comments as well as the impacts that my questions would have on him. At the onset of the recording it is clear that the content and format of our interview would not be obvious yet and the entire background conversation would help to build up on the process. The recording would be undertaken in the context of my spoken word and the numerous questions relayed to the client and this would be readily distinguishable from my own independent thought and judgment patterns as the physician. During the interview, a voice recorder would be put into use to record parts of the interview but the original sequence of the entire interviewing process would be kept for further reviewing.
Interviewing stage
The interview took place within the doctor’s office in the hospital and the entire process lasted for just about half an hour. After engaging in the opening talk as previously captured, I switched on the voice recorder and directly narrowed on the thematic area for the interviewing process at which point I requested Joseph to recap on his explanation on the cultural differences and their effect on health of people living in Australia. His first response was that “the different people living in Australia are not the same because some group of people receive better healthcare, treatment and attention than others”.
In order to gauge the perception and feelings of the client, the physician asked him about the formation of his belief about culture and its effect on health amongst the different cultural divides in Australia. The participant offered a rational and balanced description that referred to the specific advantages that people of a specific culture enjoy when compared to the rest of the population within the Australian society. In my opinion, this thought offered a good explanation but I perceived it that he had not directly tackled the question on the origin of the notion and his feelings or attitudes on the disparity in health treatment. To elicit a further response from him, I asked him in a different manner that ‘what do you think are the causes of health differences among the cultural groups in Australia?’ Joseph proceeds to ask me if I desired him to relay his thoughts in a very personal way and I answered in the affirmative at which point he continued with his answer. I then proceeded to ask him about his opinion on the cultural backgrounds and how these roped in with health in adulthood and he explained that there was a lot of relationship on the two. He also asserted that he would not offer further comments on that angle. At this point, I sensed out that Joseph was relaying his judgment value for his opinion based on the underlying experiences within the society and this significantly mirrored his articulated beliefs. I decided to employ the use of a different technique in order to get the participant to open up for further observation in the remaining part of the interviewing process. In order to achieve this objective, I further persuade the line on age bracket for the cultural backgrounds and the effect of this was an additional tension and exerted pressure on the conversation which made it most meaningful and inherently productive. In order to offer time for more observation I showed out the difference in the social classes a key pointer to the parity question on health issues within the society and further shared my own brief experience in the system.
In response to my comment, Joseph brought in an entirely new discussion and a new topic outside the thematic area of cross cultural differences in Australia. In particular, he sought to explain that the Australian system blindly adopts the health practices in other countries and this fails to take into consideration the fact that there are cultural differences among the different groups within the country. We engaged in this topic briefly and it proved to be very interesting as well after which I asked him of his general estimation of the probable number of Australian aboriginals who have the same views as he does.
Experience of this interview
The interview and techniques used in the process gave satisfactory results and I leant a lot from the entire operation. The process of interview requires proper prior preparation and this is a highly essential and helpful way that could help an individual to obtain the desired content and technique results from the process. I discovered that acquainting oneself with the right theme and the numerous relevant details such as the right plans of question structures and other relevant health related case studies and occurrences are an essential part of the interviewing process and technique application (Fortune, Reid & Miller, 2013). These techniques improved the process of facilitation of the management of the interview even during instances when tension developed during the conversation and the overall effect of this is to maintain focus. Moreover, in certain times, the client may drift away from the thematic area and the maintenance of focus is an important skill that the physician must embrace with a view to achieving the objectives and goals of the process as stipulated. The recording device also requires to be tested well in advance because in cases where the recorded is set in a wrong mode, this could frustrated the entire interviewing process. This is especially true in light of the fact that the client has limited time to spend on the interview and beginning all afresh could prove detrimental.
The other technique that I rightly employed during the interview was to focus on the interview with Joseph as a data generation event and not as data gathering and collection tool. This difference in approach ensured that we shared our experiences at a more personal level since both the physician and the client considered the process as a mere conversation. Moreover, this approach helped the client to demonstrate his attitude towards his experiences and the influence of the social cultural differences on health served as a further trigger to more discussions. Indeed, had Joseph not shared his personal experiences, I would have clearly obtained a different set of interview data. As Fortune, Reid & Miller (2013) rightly explain, it is imperative for the interviewer to comprehensively explain to the participant the purpose of the interview. This is suggested as one of the most effective techniques towards having a fruitful interview between a physician and a client and it should commence with an explanatory note to the client of all the necessary details. The preliminary information that I gave to the client included the details the thematic issues for the interview as well as the purpose and objectives of the process. This enhanced the understanding of the participant as well as myself and helped in the management of expectation during the interviewing process.
Reflective observation using Gibbs Reflective Cycle
In light of the interviewing process conducted on Joseph, I cross checked the transcript and in my analysis, I used Gibbs Reflective Cycle as a basis for the exploration of the entire health assessment process at a greater detail. My analysis justified the applicability of the need to discuss the essential role of developing skills within the interviewing context and what specific attributes of the process to be learnt next. This would have assisted the client in staying focused throughout the process without necessarily delving on matters outside the scope of the thematic area of the interview. Indeed, this could also have acted as a proper chance to develop the skills towards effective understanding and practicing of the analysis of a critical incident scenario (Fortune, Reid & Miller, 2013). The first part of the health assessment took a full description of the client and there was no mobility during the interview and observation was used as the primary source for this evaluation. I conducted the assessment with my research partner and I offered a logical explanation on how I conducted the interview and offered the justification for the techniques that I chose to use. I asked my partner to reiterate my action plan because it would be instrumental in my successful data analysis. The second part of the health assessment looked at the feeling and health situation of the client (Tran, 2016). I discussed with my partner on how the participant felt about the thematic area. The third element was on evaluation and this stage allowed me to embark on a comprehensive appraisal to offer highly accurate and a descriptive account of events of the interviewing process to my partner. I offered proof of the improvement of my interviewing techniques and placed my basic understanding of the process into practice. The unfortunate is that I quickly handled the assessment away from the analysis room and this proved to be a frustrating element to be corrected for future cases. The last part of the assessment is the analysis stage. At this stage, research shows that professionals have adequate knowledge that is needed to undertake a clear and a comprehensive interviewing process (Polgar & Thomas, 2013). However, the credibility of a professional is undermined in instances where he or she is unable to accurately deliver the required results (Diller, 2011). My supervisor acknowledged that am still a student trainee and a learner hence the room for the omissions in my health assessment.
Conclusion
My research on the impact of cross cultural differences on health of persons in Australia was successful. The client was release after the interview and through this process; I demonstrated that there are issues of genuine concern when it comes to the manner in which culture affects health of individuals across the varied cultural backgrounds.
Action Plan
I undertake to continue with the research path on the impact cross cultural differences on individual health with a view to encouraging other participants form other cultures that I will meet to offer their perceptions. I will learn to appreciate the stages involved in the interviewing process as well as to identify the loopholes in relation to the research theme at hand. I will share the information obtained from this interview with peers and other partners since knowledge sharing is a fundamental part of professional development. As I advanced into a non-supervised professional within the area, I will embark on further readings to show my practice levels from day to day. Moreover, the creation of an action plan whose objective captures my growth path and takes care of my limitations will also be effected.
References
Diller, J. V. (2011). Cultural diversity: A primer for the human services. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Fortune, A. E., Reid, W. J., & Miller, R. L. (2013). Qualitative research in social work. New York: Columbia University Press.
James, I. I. I. M. o. s. e. s. (2015). Exploring Multicultural Counseling Competence within Intensive In-Community Counseling: A… mixed methods study. S.l.: Dissertation Com.
Polgar, S., & Thomas, S. A. (2013). Introduction to research in the health sciences. Edinburgh: Elsevier.
Tran, T. (2016). Developing cross-cultural measurement in social work research and evaluation. Oxford University Press.
