Ask clear questions
Use words that make sense to the interviewees, and which are sensitive to the respondent’s context and world view. Questions should be easy to understand, straight-to-the-point, and devoid of jargon.
Ask single questions
Researchers should ask one thing at a time, as this will eliminate any unnecessary burden of interpretation on the part of the interviewees.
Ask truly open-ended questions
Such questions do not pre-determine the answers and allow room for the interviewees to respond in their own terms or language. For example, "What do you think about your English?" as opposed to "Do you think your level of English is high, medium, or low?".
Ask experience/behaviour questions before opinion/feeling questions
It is useful to ask questions about the interviewee's experience or behaviour before asking questions about his/her opinions or feelings as this helps establish a context for the interviewees to express the latter. For example, the interviewer could ask "What happened?" before "How do you feel about this issue?".
Sequence the questions in an appropriate manner
This refers to the use of a special kind of questioning technique called ‘funnelling’, which means asking from general (big picture) to the specific details, from broad to narrow.
Probe and follow-up questions
The purpose of probing is to deepen the response to a question, to increase the richness of the data being obtained, and to give cues to the interviewee about the level of response that is desired. This can be done through direct questioning of what the interviewee just said - for example, "Could you elaborate more on that?" and "Can you give a more detailed description of what happened?".
Interpret questions
Throughout the interview, the interviewer should clarify and extend the meanings of the interviewee’s statements to avoid misinterpretations on their part. For example, the interviewer may use questions like ‘Is it correct that you feel that……?" and "Does the expression….. cover what you have just expressed?".
Avoid sensitive questions
Avoid deep questions which may irritate the interviewees, possibly resulting in an interruption of the interview.
Encourage a free rein but maintain control
Proficient interviewers should always be in control of a conversation which they guide and bend towards their research interest(s).
Establish rapport
Interviewers should respect the interviewee’s opinions, support his/her feelings, or recognise his/her responses
Reference
Berry, R. S. Y (1999), "Collecting data by in-depth interviewing", paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, 2-5 September, University of Sussex at Brighton, available at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/000001172.htm (accessed 31 March 2013).
A very insightful and at the same time useful article on interview questioning techniques. It is useful to both interviewers and interviewees alike in that it helps both parties involved understand the motive behind each question and to improve the information content produced during the interview process. While some techniques are easily applied, others such as establishing rapport would take some practice and higher emotional quotient in order to be effective.
ReplyDeleteHi Shanni,
Deletethanks for the comment. Indeed, I still struggle with establishing rapport with some of my interviewees. There are some interviewees who you can connect with immediately, but this sadly doesn't apply to all. Still, I try to treat my interviewees to coffee/tea just to lighten the mood a little.
Thanks once again!