Crafting Interview Protocol: Knowledge Check
1. Provide an example of the questions you may ask for each of the following types of questions
(Note: the questions do not all have to relate to one another, but it may be easier for you to tie
them in together. Use the examples in the text as a guide, but think of your own
scenario/questions):
Descriptive Questions
Grand Tour Question:
[Text examples: Describe the main things that happen during the school year, from September
going through May/June; Tell me what happens when you get arrest for being drunk, from the
encounter with the police, through going to court and being sentenced and getting out of jail; Tell
me the names of all your relatives and what each one is like; What are all the things you do
during an initiation ceremony for new members who join the fraternity?; Describe all the different
tools and equipment you use in farming]
Mini-Tour Question:
[Text examples: An ethnographer discovers that a recurrent activity in a typical day of work at a
phone company involves “taking calls” so she asks: Describe what goes on in taking a call?]
Structural Questions
Introductory Question:
[Text example: I’d like to know all the different types of exercises done in your ballet classes,
what would you call them?]
Repetition Question:
[Text example: You mentioned ASL, signed English, pantomiming, speaking, Quad Speech, and
writing. Can you think of any other ways the deaf use to communicate?; You said there was a
doorway where you come in, a blackboard, the reading center and the bulletin board. Can you
think of any other parts of the classroom?]
Contrast Question
Triadic Contrast Question:
[Text example: Which two are most alike in some way, but different from the third?]
2. Convert the following close-ended questions into open-ended questions:
a. Are you satisfied with the bookbag? [Sample open-ended question: How did
you feel about the book bag?; Tell me about your experiences with the
bookbag]
b. Did you get out of the house yesterday? [Sample open-ended question: What
were you doing yesterday?; Tell me about yesterday; How was yesterday?]
c. Did you go to work today? [Sample open-ended question: How was work
today?; Tell me about your work today.]
d. Did you find this product to be useful? [Sample open-ended question: What do
you think of this product?; Tell me how you felt while using this product.]
3. Explain the importance of avoiding “why” questions and how you might ask questions
instead.
[Why questions may make the interviewer appear accusatory and pressure the
interviewees for more information. It may also make them feel they have not been
clear, leading to them becoming uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond.
Instead of asking for meaning it is better to ask for use. Ask the interviewee to
elaborate by using “Tell me more about…; How would that be used/said…”. Restating or repeating content and asking for examples/explanations allow for
further exploration.
4. Consider the following real-life scenario, adapted from an Engineering Without Borders
case study:
A group of engineering students, accompanied by an experienced professor, are
planning a trip to a rural village in the state of Maharashtra, India. The experienced
professor has already visited this village once before and has noticed that the use of
open wood-burning stoves in small, poorly ventilated homes may be leading to health
problems for women and children. Your task is to interview the women living in these
homes in order to learn more about the current cooking methods being used and how
that may be affecting their living situations. Before heading out of the country, the
experienced professor has asked the group of engineering students to develop an
interview protocol utilizing best practices like the ones learned in this module. The
following questions have been developed as a preliminary protocol for the trip to
Maharashtra, India.
Your task is to identify whether the following interview questions follow good interview
protocol. If the question follows good practice, state which good protocol(s) are being
used. If the question can be improved, state what is wrong with the question. Then,
rewrite said question.
----You’ve already introduced yourself and the project, and now you’re working on the “Kick
Off” component, asking conversational questions to make the the interviewee feel at
ease.
Kick Off
Question: So maybe the best place to start is to tell me more about your background.
How long have you been living here?
Question: What are your favorite types of foods to cook?
Question: Tell me some popular dishes that people like to eat around here.
Building Rapport
Question: I’m specifically interested in your stove, and the role it plays on your day-today life. How long have you had your current stove?
Question: Do you like your current cookstove?
Question: Can you tell me about a time when you experienced difficulty using your
stove?
Question: What type of effect has your stove had on your health?
Grand Tour
Question: This is my first time in Maharashtra. I’ve never been in a house here, and
would like to know how things are set up. First, it would be helpful if for you to describe
the setup of your cooking/dining area. If I were blind and you were walking me through
your house, describing each thing as we walked past it, what would it look like?
Question: I’ve unfortunately not had the pleasure of having food prepared for me by a
family here in Maharashtra. I am unfamiliar with what is cooked, how long it typically
takes, and the process by which it is done. This leads me to a simple question: What
does a typical day of food preparation look like in your household? Start in the morning
from the time you wake up.
Question: Describe what your stove looks like and how it works.
Question: What features would your ideal cooking stove have? Would you want it to be a
particular size, shape, or have certain functions?
Question: How do you think a small, enclosed stove might improve your current living
situation?
Question: Lets say you are replacing your current stove with one of two options. The first
stove is similar to the one you have but with only decent ventilation. The second stove is
different than your current one but uses the best ventilation design possible. Which
would you choose and why?