The value of oral history lies in giving a voice to those that have traditionally been marginalised from official histories, fro example, women, migrants, the working classes, gay people, etc. Oral history also provides an informal insight into important events that happened in the past and an understanding of how those affected by such events experienced them.
In order to encourage the interviewee to share their views, opinions and beliefs on the issues that affected them, it is important to ask the right kinds of questions.
Objectives
In these activities, you will learn about the benefits and disadvantages of using closed questions in an interview. You will consider the purpose of closed questions and identify the kinds of closed question which are best avoided.
Activity 1: Identifying closed questions
In preparing for a life history interview, a researcher will usually plan the kinds of questions that they will ask, and it is possible to formulate a wide range of questions. Researchers will also improvise questions during an interview in response to the nature and direction of the discussion.
In this activity, you will identify the characteristics of 'closed questions.'
Instruction
What is a 'closed question?' Read the characteristics outlined and below and check all that you think apply to 'closed questions.'
Correct answers:
A closed question demands a YES or NO answer.
A closed question provides short pieces of factual information, for example “When were you born?"
Activity 2: Advantages and disadvantages of closed questions
In this activity, you will consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of closed questions.
Instruction
Read the following statements, and mark them as TRUE (tick) or FALSE (cross). Then read the feedback.
TRUE (tick)
• Closed questions help us find out short pieces of factual information. Questions about dates, names, etc. are essential but they don’t make for very rich life narratives. Closed questions give answers to basic facts of the interviewee's life, for example: When were you born? Who was with you? Which school did you go to? In contrast, open questions seek to prompt answers that explain the 'hows' and 'whys' of important processes, changes and events that the interviewee experienced throughout his/her life.
• The best formula when conducting a life history interview is to achieve a balance between the types of questions you ask. You can combine, for example, closed and open questions to obtain a detailed but well-contextualised account. You can start with a closed question to learn about a fact/event in the interviewee's life, situate it in its historical context, and then follow on with one or two further open questions to explore the different dimensions of the fact/event, its meaning, impact and relevance in the interviewee's life and memories.
FALSE (cross)
• 'Closed questions should be avoided at all times' (FALSE). Closed questions are very valuable for finding out and clarifying important factual information.
Activity 3: Recognising a closed question
In this activity, you will read some examples of different questions and identify the closed questions.
Instruction
Read the examples below. Mark the questions which you think are closed questions. Then read the feedback.
Correct answers:
• What was your brother’s name?
• When did you arrive in this country?
• When did you decide to leave?
Questions which begin with 'how' or 'describe' often indicate an open question.
Activity 4: Closed questions that should be avoided
There a certain types of closed questions that should be avoided, and when preparing and conducting an interview, any researcher needs to be aware of their question style.
Instruction
Read the closed questions below and mark those that you feel should be reformulated. Then read the feedback.
REFORMULATE:
• ‘You felt terrible, didn’t you?’ or ‘You did not agree at all, of course?’ These are leading questions, and they invite a particular response. This is like putting words in the mouth of your interviewee. It is better to reformulate to something like ‘How did you feel about it?’, which would give your interviewee more opportunity to express their experiences and the impact on their lives at length, and in depth.
• ‘Did you leave the country in 1936?’. If the interviewee does not remember the date of their departure, he/she may try to confirm the default implied answer. This can lead to incorrect information. However, if we reformulate to ‘When did you leave’ or 'Do you remember approximately the time when you left?' you will be creating opportunities for your interviewee to travel back in time and re-visit the period or event under exploration, which may in turn enable him/her to make connections with related memories including relevant dates, people, places, objects, clothing, sounds, and so on…
DO NOT REFORMULATE:
‘Where did you go to school?' This question is effective for finding out precise factual information as it is.
Additional Resources
Watch this interview with Germinal Luis Fernández by Miguel Arrébola (2012) and assess how many Closed Questions were made and if they were successful.
