Home interview form

Question numbers

1. 1. We are trying to get a description of the home and rooms as the larger context in which the objects are placed. We are also interested in how people define their living space. Be sure to get a description of both the emotional tone and the physical characteristics of the home.

2. 3. This question concerns the places that people mention as where they feel “at home,” and the range of emotions or reasons that people give for this place. Possibly the places and significations can then be linked with the special objects.

3. 5. This is the main question of the home interview and of the entire interview, and so the interviewer should make sure the person mentions each aspect of the question and is specific enough. We are interested in (1) the rooms that the objects are located in, (2) what the objects are, (3) why the objects are special, (4) what it would mean to the person not to have the objects, (5) when the object was acquired, and (6) how the object was acquired.

By using the word “special” we mean that the object has some meaning, value, memories, importance, or feelings “attached” to it for the person. We are interested in how the object functions symbolically for the person but we do not want to use the word “symbolically” because it might not be understood and because it might limit the person's answer.