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Avoid Leading Questions

Leading questions influence the way in which respondents takes up the issues. They eliminate other possible directions respondents could take. Similar to imposing concepts, leading questions deprive respondents of the chance to articulate their experiences in their own terms.

Example: Leading Questions

Interviewer: May I know when and where you was born?

May-ling: I was born in India in 1952.

Interviewer: What about your current husband?

May-ling: He was born in India in 1936 and came to Canada in 1937.

Interviewer: Oh, your husband is much older than you, isn't he?

May-ling: Yes. He is 22 years older than I. My first husband is 16 years older than I.

The interviewer is right to follow up with a question about the age difference between the respondent and her husband. The question is phased in a leading way, however. It expresses surprise and asks the respondent to agree that her husband is "much older," a subjective remark.

Interviewer: You don't care about the difference of age, do you?

May-ling: No, I don't care about that. I like to live with an older man.

Another leading question. The question should be re-phrased in neutral terms: "How do you feel about the age difference?"

Chinese Interview #1

Exercise: "No Clues, Please!"

Comment on the following excerpt:

  1. How does the interviewer lead the respondent in the second question?
  2. Did the respondent follow the lead in his response?
  3. How would you phrase the question differently?

Interviewer: What is it like in Sri Lanka? [the previous questions addressed the respondents' extended family relationships in Toronto]

Raja: We were very close. Every day we met and we were involved in their life and we tried to help them. But here, I don't think so. It is not necessary to help anyone. That I can say because everyone takes care of themselves and at least the government helps them. In my home all of them are working.

Interviewer: Are you saying that people in your family help each other less because they are more independent financially?

Raja: Not only financially, but in some way we changed. I don't know. Because, my mother's sister, I really like her. In Sri Lanka every day I met her. She taught me in some subjects, especially in English. When I get here maybe I meet her once a year or twice a year because she is living in Montreal. Sometimes she talks to us to find out what is going on. Distance is one reason. But here we are busy. Busy. 24 hours is not enough.

Tamil Interview #1

«Avoid Imposing Concepts Listen Attentively»