STRUCTURED PERRY INTERVIEW FORMAT

1. What is your view of an ideal college education? How, if at all, should a student change as a result of that educational experience?

2. Have you encountered any significant differences in beliefs and values in your peers in college or other people you've met in your experiences here? What is your reaction to this diversity; how do you account for these differences? How do you go about evaluating the conflicting views or beliefs you encounter? How, if at all, do you interact with people who have views different from your own?

[NOTE: The focus here is on the process of evaluating and/or interacting, not on specific beliefs or reactions per se]

3. Facing an uncertain situation in which you don't have as much information as you'd like and/or the information is not clearcut, how do you go about making a decision about what you believe? Is your decision in that situation the right decision? Why or why not? If so, how do you know?

[NOTE: Try to get the student to describe the process of coming to a judgment in that kind of situation, which in many cases will involve generating a concrete example of some personal relevance but not too emotionally-charged--preferably an academic-related context, related if possible to their major field.]

4. How would you define "knowledge"? How is knowledge related to what we discussed earlier in terms of a college education? What is the relationship between knowledge and your idea of truth? What are the standards you use for evaluating the truth of your beliefs or values? Do your personal beliefs/values apply to other people--in other words, are you willing to apply your standards to their behavior? Why or why not?

Possible follow-up probes in each area:

* How have you arrived at this particular view of these issues? Can you remember a time when you didn't think this way and recall how your view changed over time?

* To what extent do you think the view you have expressed is a logical and coherent perspective you've defined for yourself? What, if any, alternative perspectives have you considered?

* How likely is it that your view will change in the future? If you think it's likely to change, what kind of experiences or situations might produce such change?

ALTERNATE PERRY INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
(particularly useful for probing for post-position 5 reasoning)

1. LOOKING BACKWARD (COLLEGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE)

* We're interested in learning how you view your overall educational experience in college. Later I'll ask you some specific questions, but for now, I'd just like you to tell me what seems important to you as you think about it--what stands out to you as you think about your experience here?

[Alternatives: What about your college experience has influenced you the most--what stands out in your mind that has really made an impression on you and influenced you? or What overall sense do you make of your educational experience in college?]

(PROBES: request examples, tie together threads of narrative, relate to earlier experience/s)

• Who has been important to you in your learning? (peers, faculty/administrators, family, others)
• How have you changed in the way you approach learning since you've been in college?
• How would you describe yourself--in general, and specifically as a learner?
• Are there any ways in which you are different than before as a result of your experience in college? [Possible followup: If you could have your way, what kinds of changes in yourself would you have hoped to see as a result of your educational experience in college?]

2. CLARIFYING CONVICTIONS

* Does it seem to you that usually there is only one opinion, idea or answer that is really right or true, or do you think there can usually be more than one? Explain.

FOLLOWUP PROBES (variable, depending on what seems appropriate with student)

• What makes an opinion right? Are all opinions right? Can you say some opinions are better than others? How do you know? In terms of what makes an opinion "right," what role do you think experts and authorities need to play?
• Is it important to obtain support for your opinions? What kind of support?
• Do you think your outlook on this diversity of opinions has changed in recent years? What/who led to this change?

* It seems that with all the various ways of looking at things and all of the different opinions that exist, there's a very confusing variety of choices to make. Do you have any strong convictions to help guide you in these choices? Could you describe an example? [If necessary, define "conviction" as a point of view that one develops about an issue or subject over time, not an unexamined belief one has grown up with or inherited from one's parents or upbringing]

FOLLOWUP PROBES

• How did you come to hold this point of view? Can you describe how your thinking developed? What alternatives did you consider in this process, and why did you discard them?
• Do you feel or have you ever felt that you would like to convince others of your ideas?
• What do you think when others have strong convictions and try to convince you?
• If someone attacks your belief [about opinions], how do you defend yourself?

(OPTIONAL)

* React to each of these statements, describing how and to what extent they apply to you:

• "I never take anything someone says for granted. I just tend to see the contrary. I like to play the devil's advocate, arguing the opposite of what someone is saying, thinking of exceptions, or thinking of a different train of logic."
• " When I have an idea about something, and it differs from the way another person is thinking about it, I'll usually try to look at it from that person's point of view, see how they could say that, why they think that they are right, why it makes sense to them."

3. LOOKING FORWARD (GOALS FOR FUTURE & CAREER)

* What are your educational or career goals at this point? How have your educational or career goals changed since you started--for instance, do you have any goals now that you didn't have before, or do some you started with seem less worthwhile or realistic?

* In what ways has the college specifically contributed to the achievement of your goals up to this point?

* How do you think your experiences or accomplishments in college will connect or relate to what you do after college?

IN EACH QUESTION SET, EXPLORE FOR:

• SYNTHESIS/INTEGRATION--pulling threads of narrative together
• CONNECTION-MAKING--between ideas, between discipline and personal experience, etc.
• SELF-REFLECTION--e.g., understanding of self-as-learner, as person considering career choices, etc.
• META-THINKING--analysis of own thinking over time (i.e., how it's changed/evolved)