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5. Questions & Their Uses

QUESTIONS AND THEIR USES

  • Definition: Tools used by both parties to invite an answer; any word, phrase, statement, or nonverbal act that invites a response.

  • Basic functions:

    • Gather information.

    • Check facts.

    • Assess claims.

    • Clarify what was heard.

    • Verify comprehension.

  • Essential characteristics:

    • Open or closed

    • Primary or secondary (probing)

    • Neutral or leading

OPEN AND CLOSED QUESTIONS
OPEN QUESTIONS

  • Definition: Broad in scope, specifying only a topic, allowing significant freedom in determining the amount and kind of information.

  • Types:

    1. Highly open: Virtually no restrictions (e.g., "Tell me about your vacation last year.").

    2. Moderately open: Some restrictions but with latitude in answer (e.g., "What was it like visiting your relatives during your vacation?").

  • Advantages:

    • Encourage respondents to talk.

    • Help determine the nature/amount of information to give (communicate interest, trust, level of knowledge, feelings, perceptions).

    • Promote volunteer information.

  • Disadvantages:

    • A single answer may consume significant interview time.

    • Respondents may give unimportant or irrelevant information, or withhold important information.

    • Difficult to record.

CLOSED QUESTIONS

  • Definition: Narrow in focus, restricting the interviewee’s freedom to determine the amount and kind of information.

  • Types:

    1. Moderately closed: Ask for specific, limited pieces of information (e.g., "What are your favorite places to eat?").

    2. Highly closed: Select appropriate answers from a list (e.g., "How much does it cost per credit hour for your online courses?").

    3. Bipolar: Limit respondents to two polar choices (e.g., "Have you got vaccinated? / Do you smoke? (yes or no)").

  • Advantages:

    • Permit interviewers to control length of answers and guide respondents.

    • Require little effort from either party and allow more questions in less time.

    • Answers are easy to replicate, tabulate, and analyze.

  • Disadvantages:

    • Answers often contain too little information, requiring several additional questions.

    • Interviewers tend to talk more than interviewees.

    • Do not reveal particular attitudes, feelings, or commitments.

    • Less information is exchanged.

PRIMARY AND PROBING QUESTIONS
PRIMARY QUESTIONS

  • Introduce topics or new areas; can stand alone.

PROBING QUESTIONS

  • Designed to dig deeper into answers that appear incomplete, superficial, suggestive, vague, irrelevant, or inaccurate.

  • Connected frames: Attempt to discover additional information following a primary or secondary question; make sense only when connected to previous questions.

TYPES OF PROBING QUESTIONS

  1. Silent probes: Nonverbal signals (eye contact, nod, gesture) or silence to encourage continuation.

  2. Nudging probes: Simple and brief words or phrases (e.g., "I see.", "Yes?", "Go on.") used when a silent probe fails.

  3. Clearinghouse probes: Used to discover whether all important information on a topic has been uncovered (e.g., "Is there anything else you would like for me to know?").

  4. Informational probes: Used to get additional information or explanations (e.g., "What specifically did he say?").

  5. Restatement probes: Used when respondents do not answer the question; restate all or part of the original question.

  6. Reflective probes: Used to verify or clarify the answer just given to ensure accurate interpretation.

  7. Mirror probes: Used to summarize a series of answers or interchanges for accurate understanding and retention.

    • repeated words usually to probe to expand their answer.

PRIMARY AND PROBING QUESTIONS: SKILL AND APPLICATION

  • Skilled interviewers listen carefully to each response to determine if satisfactory, then select appropriate secondary questions.

  • Patience and persistence lead to insightful answers.

NEUTRAL AND LEADING QUESTIONS

  • Neutral questions: Allow respondents to decide on answers without overt direction or pressure; encourage honest answers.

  • Leading questions: Direct interviewees to specific answers expected; potential for interviewer bias.

INTERVIEWER BIAS AND LOADED QUESTIONS

  • Interviewer bias: Leads to dictated responses.

  • Loaded questions: Extreme leading questions that dictate answers through language or entrapment; have potential for severe interviewer bias.

COMMON QUESTION PITFALLS

  1. The Unintentional Bipolar Questions: Asking questions designed for a yes/no answer when detailed information is needed.

  2. The Tell Me Everything Questions: Extremely open questions with no restrictions or guidelines (e.g., "Tell me about yourself").

  3. The Open-to-Closed Switch: An open question switched to a closed or bipolar question before the respondent can answer (e.g., "Tell me about your trip to Seattle. Did you see the new Boeing Dreamliner?").

  4. The Double-Barreled Inquisition: Asking two or more questions at the same time instead of a single, precise question.

  5. The Unintentional Leading Push: A question that suggests how a person ought to respond (e.g., "You’re going to the help session, aren’t you?").

  6. The Guessing Game: Trying to guess information instead of asking for it directly.

  7. The Yes (No) Response: A question that has only one obvious answer.

  8. The Curious Question: Delves into information you do not need; if essential, explain its importance.

  9. The Too High or Too Low Questions: Fails to match the interviewee’s knowledge level.

  10. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Delves into sensitive information too soon; establish comfortable climate first.