Enhancing Researcher Reflexivity About the Influence of Leading Questions in Interviews

Abstract

Interviewing is the most frequently used qualitative research method for gathering data. Although interviews vary across different epistemological perspectives, questions are central to all interviewing genres. This article focuses on the potential for the wording of interview questions to lead and unduly influence, or bias, the interviewee’s responses. This underacknowledged phenomenon affects the trustworthiness of findings and has implications for knowledge claims made by researchers, particularly in research that aims to elicit interviewees’ subjective experience. We highlight the problem of the influence of interview questions on data; provide a typology of how interview questions can lead responses; and present a method, the “cleanness rating,” that facilitates reflexivity by enabling researchers to review and assess the influence of their interview questions. This clarifies the researcher’s role in the production of interview data and contributes to methodological transparency.

Ultra-Orthodox Parents’ Perceptions of Arts Therapies for Their Children

“…Conducting the interviews over the phone helped increase reliability, as this technique enabled the participation of individuals belonging to different factions in ultra-Orthodox society, who most likely would not have participated if it had been a face-to-face interview, which would have resulted in narrowing the population participating in the study [ 54 ]. The questions asked were open-ended while avoiding the expression of attitude, opinion or presupposition, so that the interviewees would tell their story in a way that was not biased or dictated [ 55 ]. However, we decided against member checks to avoid bothering the participants, whose access and recruitment were complex.…”

Immigrant Intercultural Development: A Perspective Taking Approach to Support Intercultural and Workplace Adjustment

“…Clean approaches have been gaining popularity in management research (Cairns-Lee, 2017; Cairns- Lee et al, 2021;Tosey et al, 2014;Lawley & Tompkins, 2012;. Even though the clean language approach was developed in therapeutic practices by David Grove (1950-2008, it has been adopted by practitioners, coaches, trainers, and researchers that do not practice therapy, making themselves accessible to non-practicing therapists (Tosey et al, 2014).…”

“…Even though the clean language approach was developed in therapeutic practices by David Grove (1950-2008, it has been adopted by practitioners, coaches, trainers, and researchers that do not practice therapy, making themselves accessible to non-practicing therapists (Tosey et al, 2014). Researchers employing clean approaches have advocated that implementing them in interviewing has reduced the researcher's potential for biasing responses (Cairns- Lee et al, 2021) and increased trustworthiness (Guba & Lincoln, 1985) and authenticity in qualitative research (Tosey et al, 2014).…”

“…Furthermore, the clean methods under the emergent knowledge framework originated from Grove's therapeutic practice. Even though its origins are in therapy, several researchers have paved the way for their use in research contexts without practicing therapy themselves (Tosey et al, 2014;Cairns-Lee et al, 2021;Lawley & Tompkins, 2012;.…”

“…Clean language approaches use participants' exact wording in questions and invite them to pay attention to their underlying perceptions and assumptions in their responses (Grove, 2003). They have been gaining popularity in recent management research (Cairns- Lee, 2017;Cairns-Lee et al, 2021;Tosey et al, 2014;. The continuation of clean methods like clean spinning in management research presents research opportunities worth pursuing.…”