The value of artefacts in stimulating recall interviews: Exploring mentor decisions of student competence in practice

Aim: To discuss the use of artefacts in semi-structured interviews and evaluate their use in a study exploring mentor decisions of student competency in practice. Background: The author draws on experiences of using artefacts, in this instance student practice assessment documents (PADs), from their mixed methods PhD study. Data Sources: From forty four final placement decisions surveyed in student PADs, seventeen mentors were interviewed to explore their decision making processes underpinning what they had documented in the placement interviews. Review Methods: A review of the literature identified the role that an artefact can play in retrospective examination of a decision taken, thus facilitating capture of the essence of a mentor’s decision over time and in context. Discussion: How to explore a decision which is based upon sustained engagement and interaction between a student and their mentor was a challenge for the research design. Adopting a naturalistic decision making approach, the role that artefact use can play in addressing the difficulties associated with retrospective introspection of a unique decision is discussed and an example of artefact use presented and evaluated. Conclusion: Use of an artefact to stimulate recall is capable of eliciting evidence of cognitive activity which may be difficult to obtain in a normal semi-structured interview. In addition, discussion of a participant created artefact may promote collaboration in the investigation between participant and researcher, reducing researcher bias. Implications for Practice:There is the potential for increasing artefact use in health research to investigate wider professional decision making as well as service user and carer choices