Non-formal interviews as model interfaces: A case for deep learning in workplace instructional design research

This paper introduces non-formal interviews as a method of qualitative data collection in instructional design research (IDR), particularly in workplace-based lifelong learning interventions. Drawing on case study and autoethnographic reflection on prior research with Costa Rican airport customs officers learning vocational English, the paper theorizes and describes how non-formal interviews capture the real-time complexities of workplace language use and communication in ways that formal interviews can miss due to their reliance on retrospective participant reflection. By combining the techniques of observational conversations, shadowing, and researcher-participant collaboration explicitly lensed through a study's research questions, non-formal interviews capture detailed, real-time insights into emergent workplace behaviors, communication challenges, and learning opportunities. These insights complement formal interviews and provide richer data to inform more effective IDR interventions that support workplace communication, language acquisition, and behavior change. This study identifies four key advantages of non-formal interviews as model interfaces for vocational language learning in IDR. First, they offer direct, real-time access to workplace behaviors and interactions. Second, by minimizing the reflective buffer of formal interviews, they capture more immediate and authentic onsite language use. Third, their flexibility allows researchers to document language adaptation as it happens in response to workplace demands. Finally, they accommodate data collection to the shifting linguistic and behavioral needs of dynamic work environments. These findings underscore the potential of non-formal interviews to enhance workplace learning interventions by grounding instructional design in actual workplace practices. The paper concludes with recommendations for integrating non-formal interviews into IDR methodologies, emphasizing their ability to support behavior-driven, context-sensitive, and adaptive learning strategies. By formalizing a structured yet flexible approach to workplace-based qualitative inquiry, non-formal interviews bridge structured qualitative interviews and participant observation, ensuring that instructional design research captures workplace learning as it unfolds in real time. A fourfold framework for implementing non-formal interviews in IDR is also discussed.