A guide to interview for education market research
Interviews give you some of the richest insights when conducting education market research as they really let you dig deep into the 'why' behind people's decisions or thoughts. They don’t come without their challenges, though. At Insightful Research, we've spent 12+ years perfecting our approach. This guide shares what we've learned about planning and conducting interviews for education market research.
It’s worth noting that we conduct all interviews over video or phone call.
Planning your interviews
Define clear objectives first
Before you even think about writing questions, be crystal clear on what decisions the research needs to inform. A useful question to ask is "What will you do differently based on what we find out?" This keeps interviews focused and ensures you're gathering actionable insights for your education organisation or business.
Choose the right interview length
Interview length should match your audience and objectives. 45-minute slots work well for most professional participants in education and give enough time to build rapport and dig into topics properly.
Finding Participants
Start with the easiest routes
Existing customer bases are usually the quickest and cheapest option for recruitment in education market research - but they can also be a biased audience and if your aspirations are to grow your market, you need to talk to people who you might not otherwise talk to.
Specialist market research recruiters are another valuable resource—they have established networks across the education sector and can be particularly helpful for hard-to-reach participants. At Insightful Research, we have our own panel of school leaders and teachers that we can recruit from to find the right participants for your projects.
Be specific about your requirements
Try to avoid broad categories like "teachers"—specify exactly what you need. Primary or secondary? What subjects? How many years experience? Working in state or independent schools? What type of institution? The more specific your participant profile, the more insightful the research.
Build in recruitment time
Always allow 2-4 weeks for recruitment in education market research. People's diaries fill up quickly in the education sector and scheduling matters enormously—term time versus holidays can make a huge difference to availability. Try to avoid busy times of year, like exam periods if you can, too.
Our page on how to find participants for education market research explains more.
Encouraging people to take part
Communicate what's in it for them
Explain why the research matters and how their input will be used. Many education professionals are motivated by the opportunity to shape products or influence decisions in their sector. Make it clear their voice will contribute to meaningful change.
Offer appropriate compensation or incentives
Consider whether participants need compensation for their time—If they're taking part during their normal working day, it might not be required. When incentives are appropriate, they should reflect the time commitment and professional level. Be clear upfront in recruitment materials about any compensation offered and ensure adherence to the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct.
Make scheduling easy
Offer flexible time slots that work around participants' schedules. In education, this means considering term times, lesson schedules, and busy periods like exams. Give people plenty of notice and multiple options to choose from so they can find something that fits.
Check out our page on encouraging people to take part in education market research for more tips about boosting participation.
Writing discussion guides
Keep it flexible, not rigid
Semi-structured guides with key themes and potential probes work better than scripts to read verbatim. This allows natural conversation while ensuring all necessary topics are covered during your education market research interviews.
Start broad, then narrow
Begin with open questions that get people talking, then drill down into specifics. For example, "Tell me about how you currently approach curriculum planning" before "What do you think of [our idea]?"
Include probes
For each main question, note potential follow-up probes: "Can you give me an example?" "Why do you think that is?" "How does that compare to other schools you've worked in?" These help when someone gives a brief answer and you need to dig deeper.
Avoid leading questions
Instead of "Do you agree that workload is a problem?", ask "What challenges have you experienced in your role?" Let participants define the issues in their own words rather than confirming your assumptions about the education sector. You may influence the answers if your questions have a biased angle.
Forward questions selectively
For more reflective participants or sensitive topics in education, sending the main themes ahead of time (not word-for-word questions, but topics to be covered) can help people feel prepared without over-rehearsing responses. This works particularly well with busy school leaders.
Conducting the interview
Start with the practical stuff
At the beginning, run through basic housekeeping, such as consent to record, estimate interview length and reassure participants about anonymity and data protection.
Build rapport early
Spend the first few minutes on easy conversation—thank them for their time and perhaps acknowledge how busy they must be during term time. Doing this can help people relax before the actual questions start.
Master the pause
After someone answers, don't rush to the next question. Count to three in your head. Often people will elaborate further if you just wait. Silence is okay and can be productive in education market research interviews.
Use active listening signals
Over video calls, you need to work a bit harder to show you're engaged. Nod, make affirming sounds ("mm-hmm"), and occasionally paraphrase what they've said to check understanding.
Manage different personalities
Some people are naturally chatty—with them, you might need to gently steer back on topic. Others need more encouragement. If someone's quiet, try asking for specific examples from their classroom or institution, which often gets people talking more than abstract questions.
Probe respectfully
When answers are vague, dig deeper without being pushy. "That's interesting—can you tell me more about that?" or "What made you feel that way?" works better than "Can you be more specific?"
Watch the time
Keep an eye on the clock to ensure everything gets covered. Education professionals often have tight schedules, so respecting their time is important. If running over, check if continuing for a bit longer is acceptable.
Our guide on how to get the most out of your participants goes into more detail.
During the interview
Take minimal notes
Since everything's recorded and transcribed, just jot down key themes or interesting quotes. Too much note-taking can break rapport and make participants self-conscious about what they're sharing.
Watch for non-verbal cues
Even on video calls, you can pick up hesitation, enthusiasm or discomfort. If someone looks uncertain when discussing school policies or leadership decisions, that's worth exploring: "You seemed to pause there—was there something else you were thinking?"
Be genuinely curious
Some of the best responses come from participants who feel there's real interest in what they’re saying. If something surprises you about how schools or colleges operate, lean into it. Some of the best insights come from unexpected directions.
After the Interview
Review notes immediately
While it's fresh, jot down any observations that wouldn't be captured in the transcript—tone, energy level, anything that seemed particularly significant about their school context or challenges.
Track patterns across interviews
After every few interviews with education professionals, review emerging themes. This sometimes means adjusting the discussion guide slightly for remaining interviews if new important topics emerge about the education sector.
Present findings with room for discussion
Research presentations give clients the opportunity to ask questions, explore implications and discuss what the findings mean for their particular education business or organisation. This dialogue helps ensure insights are properly understood and applied.
Provide access to underlying data
You may be able to provide clients with anonymised* transcripts alongside the final report. This allows education organisations to revisit the raw data if they need to explore specific areas in more detail later—perhaps diving deeper into feedback about a particular product feature or teaching challenge.
*This is one of the ways we keep your education market research data safe and GDPR-compliant.
Work with Insightful Research
We've spent 12+ years running effective education market research interviews. From finding the right participants to getting thoughtful responses, we can help with every stage of your project. Get in touch today for a friendly chat about what you need.
Wrapping up
Leave time for their questions
Always ask "Is there anything you'd like to ask me?" or "Is there anything we haven't covered that you think is important about your school or students?" This can surface valuable insights you hadn't thought to ask about in your education market research.
Explain next steps
Tell them when the research will be completed and how findings might be used. If they want to see results, explain whether that's possible.
Thank them properly
Acknowledge that their time and insights are valuable, especially given how busy education professionals are. Confirm when they'll receive their incentive payment.
How can we help?
If you would like to ask our advice, book a
no-obligation 30 minute consultation with us to discuss your research requirements or to simply have a chat and find out more about what we do.
Alternatively, use the briefing form to start discussing a new project, give Jill Elston a call on +44 (0)7703 462179 or email us jill@insightfulresearch.co.uk