Royal United Services Institute of
Vancouver Island (RUSI-VI)
Extract from: Government of British Columbia Historical Archives Manual “Oral History” – continued– part 7 of 9.
Question Sets
A question set is simply a list of the questions to be covered in the interview. For some types of interviews (notably the unstructured narrative) the question set in written form is optional; for others it is essential. But even when it is used, it should be a guide and not an inflexible regimen. Most experienced interviewers use question sets in one form or another and they are highly recommended for inexperienced interviewers. If a written question set is to be prepared, the final version should be compiled after the preliminary meeting, using the information that is derived from it.
Question set formation is a creative part of the interview because you are deciding what will be included and what will not. You are also giving an overall structure to the interview that will obtain the best result both as to information and the natural drama of events.
It is a common practice to begin the first recorded session with basic biographical information such as full name, place and date of birth, and a few questions on family, social and occupational background. This is a good way to ease the interviewee into the question and answer format. It not only clearly identifies the interviewee but also establishes the chronological and social context. Future users will know of the type of person being interviewed and have a frame of reference for evaluating the material on the tape. It is not essential, however, to have this information on the tape so long as it is recorded on tape labels or other forms. With some interviewees it may be preferable to begin on a less formal note, such as a favorite story.
Most interviews require between 10 and 30 questions per hour although some people may need almost no prompting. If the interviewee is fluent and responsive, it is possible to frame a series of fairly specific questions and still get a wide range of material. On the other hand, if the interviewee tends to be terse, concise, or shy, more general questions may produce a better result.
A good method for organizing a question set is on file cards. Questions can be noted on these cards at any time and in the order they occur to the interviewer before the interview takes place, the cards are sorted into chronological, thematic or other order.
When a number of interviews are conducted on a closely related topic (as when the Provincial Archives interviewed all cabinet ministers who had served prior to 1972) it is a good idea to compile the question set for the initial interview in colour-coded sections. Questions on topic A would be on white cards, questions on topic B on blue cards, and so on. For subsequent interviews, a question set will be much easier to put together, with large groups of questions drawn from the previous set.
The form and content of the questions are extremely important. The memories an interviewee selects are influenced by the format and tone of the question which can introduce erroneous information into the interviewee's account or may even alter the memory of the event.
Interviews which seek very specific information or answers from different interviewees which can then be compared or quantified must have a more structured approach. A precisely worded question set may be essential so that questions are exactly the same for each interviewee. This questionnaire approach has limitations since people do not always understand the question in the same way, nor answer in a way that can be compared. But its greatest shortcomings is that it inhibits descriptive and non-conforming answers. It is a good idea to supplement standardized questions with some that allow for open-ended responses. Questionnaires may yield some fine historical statistics but they make poor oral history.
Stressing one type of question can adversely shape the interview. Closed questions will yield too many yes or no answers while too many open-ended questions can result in an interview which lacks purpose and direction. Negative or challenging questions can mar an interview by forcing interviewees into a defensive position in which they feel threatened and less willing to answer. A public figure may tolerate or even enjoy probing, challenging and argumentative questioning, but this technique would probably be inappropriate for a person who has never been interviewed.
Novice interviewers may be tempted to compose a finely-honed set of questions and follow it slavishly. The compilation of an apparently ideal list may be a good exercise in preparing for the interview, but you should be ready to use it flexibly (or perhaps not at all) depending on the give and take of the actual interview. There are so many variables in and interview that a rigid set of questions may prove detrimental. Insights that might have been gained by spontaneous questions and exploration of tangents are lost. A question set should be used as a guide, not as a rule.
See the work of psychologist Elizabeth Loftus on the subject of eyewitness testimony.
- “Describe flu epidemic in Rossland & Silverton.” (extent, casualties)
- “How did the community cope?”
- Effect upon town life, the economy, etc.
- “What type of mining operation at Rossland?” (method of extracting ore, product)
- “What was your father's job(s) in the mine?“
- Describe conditions underground (air, noise, temperatures, etc.)
- Were there any injuries? Why?
- What were the chief concerns of the union? What is your opinion of the union? (Effective? Opinion of Union Pres. Ed Jones
- “Explain role of union in silicosis scare.”
- Describe camp life at Summit Lake lumber camp (housing, fond, recreation, school, etc.)
- Describe logging operation at Summit Lake. (methods, machinery, transportation)
- Explain why logging company failed.
- What is your memory of the Summit Lake forest fire (1922)? Causes. Efforts to contain. Destruction. Effect on community/economy.
In addition to the classic objective questions of who, what, when and where, questions which invite a more open-ended, descriptive or reflective answers, should also be used. Questions which begin: “Describe ...” , “Tell me about ...”, “Explain or expand on ...”, “Compare ...”, or questions which evoke the senses (What did you see. hear, feel, taste or even smell) are more likely to trigger the richly descriptive anecdotes which are the strength of oral history. Interviewers have had great success with questions such as:
“Take me on an imaginary walk around your farm at the time you were a little girl.”
“What would I have seen on my first day underground at that mine?”
“If you walked up one side and down the other of the main street of your town what would you have seen and who would you have met?”
Examples of Closed and Open-Ended Questions
It is also important not to suggest a required answer in the wording of your question. In psychological jargon this is called the “demand characteristic.” In a courtroom, a lawyer might be accused of leading the witness - in oral history interviewing it is simply bad practice in that it precludes a full frank answer. Below are some examples.
| Closed | Open-ended or evocative |
|---|---|
| Where were you born? | What do you remember about the place where you were born? |
| Where were your parents born? | What did your parents tell you about their lives? |
| Did your family have gatherings? | Describe your family gatherings |
| What holidays did your family celebrate? | How were holidays celebrated in your family? |
| Was religion important to your family? | Tell me about religious observances in your family? |
| When did you finish school? | How did your formal education end? |
| How did you travel to Canada? | What were conditions like on your journey to Canada? |
| When did you arrive in Canada? | What did you notice first when you arrived in Canada? |
| Where did you first work when you left school? | Tell me about your experiences finding work when you left school? |
| Did you and your friends play games as children? | Describe some games you played as a child? |
| Did many people come here to homestead? | How did people set about homesteading in this area? |
| Were you a soldier in World War I? | Tell me about your experiences in World War One. |
Examples of Leading Questions
| Leading | Neutral |
|---|---|
| You must certainly have been happy on election night? | How did you feel on election night? |
| Did you come to Canada then? | What did you do then? |
| You didn’t like Mr. X, did you? | Tell me about Mr. "X" |
| What did you think of Mr. Jones’ outrageous behaviour? | What did Mr. Jones do then? |
An example of the development of a question set for a military interview who served in the Artillery during WWII, provided by Dr. R Roy, Professor Emeritus, University of Victoria.
What I did, when interviewing veterans in general, was to get their pre-war background. When and where were they born? Education? Previous military experience before the war? Father in the Great War? Where did he join? Volunteer or conscript? Why did he join the artillery rather than the infantry?
First impressions of army life? Reaction to discipline, lack of privacy, living in barracks, relations with others in unit and with senior NCOs and officers, pay, messing, etc.
When did the unit start getting their equipment? Training with the guns. Move overseas. Life aboard a troopship. His impressions of England - blackouts, food rationing, British barracks, relationship with British civilians, furloughs, mail from Canada, etc.
As far as the training is concerned I think that is fairly straight forward. When did they get issued with the guns? Did he have a specialized job? First live firing exercises - where and when? Did he take any specialized courses? Was he promoted at any time - if so when and why. Have him describe the special training the artillery had once the 3rd Div was selected to be an assault division. Training in Combined Operations. Was he part of the unit (s), which fired their guns from landing craft on the way into the beaches?
Some interviewees ask to see the questions in advance. While there is no fixed rule, it is generally advisable to discourage this. Instead, offer them a list of topics to be covered, saving the exact wording of the questions for the interview itself. This enables them to refresh their memory about certain things if they wish but will prevent them from rehearsing answers to specific questions. It is not unusual for interviewees to prepare written answers which they then propose to read. While this is well-meaning, it makes for disastrous oral history since nearly everyone tells a story spontaneously far better than they can read it. This robs the interview of its main strength, the spontaneity of a first-person recollection of events. Of course, if the interviewee makes the submission of a question set in advance a precondition of the interview, then you will have to comply with the request.
Next : Part 8 of 9 - Conducting the Interview
Previous : Part 6 of 9 - The Preliminary Interview
