Charles J. Stewart and William B. Cash, Jr. Interviewing Principles
and Practices, 9th Edition. (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2000.)
Chapter 4: "Questions and Their Uses," pp. 74-106.Objectives:
Distinguish between open and closed questions and be able to compare their
advantages and disadvantages.
Give examples of the various kinds of probes (silent, nudging, clearinghouse,
informational, restatement, reflective and mirror) and indicate when they
are used.
Distinguish between neutral and leading questions and describe how to avoid
interviewer bias.
Use the five factors of question phrasing -- language, relevance, information
level, complexity and accessibility -- to identify problems with questions
and correct them.
Identify the six common question pitfalls.
Recognize question sequences and be able to use them in developing an interview
guide.
Exam questions:
Compare and contrast the advantages of open and closed questions.
Given a question sequence, be able to identify it as being either funnel,
pyramid (inverted funnel), or tunnel sequence.
Compare and contrast clearinghouse, nudging, and informational probing
questions.
Why are reflective and mirror questions neutral rather than leading?
Given a list of questions, be able to classify them according to whether
they are (a) open or closed, (b) primary or secondary, and (c) neutral
or leading.
Under what circumstances would an interviewer use a loaded question?
How can you avoid interviewer bias?
How can you phrase questions to avoid an "accessibility" problem?
How does a yes/no response question differ from a bipolar question?
What are the five steps in the quintamensional design sequence?
Critique a list of questions, indicating what is wrong with each and how
it might be improved.
In-class exercise:
Use case studies 2 and 3 as the basis for practicing the development of
questions and interviews.