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Effect of Adult Education on Adults’ Ability to Conduct Basic Interviews

Abstract

Adult education provides opportunities for adults to develop practical knowledge and skills that can be applied in educational, occupational, community, and everyday situations. Conducting basic interviews involves the ability to plan simple interviews, formulate relevant questions, establish appropriate interaction with respondents, listen carefully, record responses accurately, and maintain a clear focus on the purpose of the interview. Limited interview skills may affect adults’ ability to collect reliable information for learning, community activities, research, and other practical purposes. The study therefore aims to examine the effect of adult education on adults’ ability to conduct basic interviews. Adult education can develop interview-related skills through classroom instruction, demonstrations, role-playing, group activities, practical exercises, and project-based learning. Learners can be introduced to basic interview procedures, including identifying the purpose of an interview, preparing appropriate questions, establishing rapport, asking clear questions, listening attentively, probing for clarification, and recording responses. Practical learning experiences can enable adults to move beyond theoretical knowledge and develop familiarity with the different stages involved in conducting a basic interview. The ability to conduct basic interviews involves applying appropriate communication and information-gathering techniques in a structured interaction with another person. Adults with adequate interview ability may be better prepared to introduce an interview, ask relevant and understandable questions, maintain appropriate interaction, listen to responses, seek clarification where necessary, and record information accurately. Adult education can influence this ability by providing learners with opportunities to practise interview procedures and receive guidance on effective information-gathering techniques. The study will adopt a survey research design. The population will comprise adults participating in selected adult education programmes, from which an appropriate sample will be selected using a suitable sampling procedure. Data will be collected using a structured questionnaire and appropriate practical skills-assessment items designed to measure adults’ exposure to adult education and their ability to conduct basic interviews. The instrument will be subjected to appropriate validity and reliability procedures before administration. Descriptive statistics will be used to answer the research questions, while an appropriate inferential statistical technique will be employed to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The study is expected to establish that adult education has a positive effect on adults’ ability to conduct basic interviews. Adults exposed to relevant educational experiences are expected to demonstrate improved ability to prepare interview questions, establish rapport, ask clear questions, listen attentively, seek clarification, and record responses appropriately. The study is also expected to indicate that practical learning activities provide adults with useful opportunities to develop and apply basic interviewing skills in realistic situations. The findings are expected to have implications for the teaching and learning of adult education by emphasizing the importance of practical communication and information-gathering skills. Adult educators may use demonstrations, role-playing, simulated interviews, peer practice, and project activities to help learners develop competence in conducting basic interviews. These approaches can provide learners with opportunities to practise interview procedures, identify areas requiring improvement, and connect classroom learning with practical situations in which information needs to be gathered from individuals. The study will be significant to adult learners, adult educators, community organizations, researchers, workplace trainers, and adult education programme planners. Adult learners may acquire useful interview skills that can support information gathering in educational, occupational, and community settings. Adult educators may gain useful information for designing practical skill-development activities, while community organizations and workplace trainers may benefit from adults who can conduct simple interviews more effectively. Programme planners may also use the findings to strengthen adult education programmes that develop practical communication and information-gathering competencies. The study recommends that adult education programmes should include practical interview training as part of relevant learning activities. Adult educators should provide opportunities for learners to practise question development, rapport building, active listening, clarification, response recording, and interview organization through simulations and real-life projects. Learners should also be guided on appropriate consent, confidentiality, and respectful interaction when conducting interviews. It is concluded that adult education can serve as an important avenue for improving adults’ ability to conduct basic interviews and strengthening their practical information-gathering skills.

Keywords: Adult Education, Adult Learners, Interview Skills, Basic Interviews, Interview Techniques, Information Gathering, Questioning Skills, Active Listening, Communication Skills, Interview Preparation, Rapport Building, Response Recording, Information Collection, Practical Skills, Adult Learning