I have been through a similar experience recently. My supervisor requested that I pilot my semi-structured interview questions. At first I was hesitant to accept the idea and thought, “great, this will add few more months to my dissertation journey.” After some reflection, I am appreciative of my supervisor’s request. I feel a pilot study will be very useful for testing the appropriateness and clarity of my interview questions. I plan to pilot with 3 participants. I will start the pilot the study as soon as I receive IRB approval, which will hopefully happen soon. Yes, I agree that having an active and responsive supervisor is invaluable.

Jeffrey, is it possible to share some tips regarding the pilot study based on the feedback you received from your fellow doctoral colleagues?

Cheers,
Ahmad