Essay: Life after prison-contrast questions & evaluation

Sample Essay

3.2  Contrast question

This form of interview helped much in engaging respondents with the interviewer. This is because ‘they allow deviations from the normal standard interview and do not necessarily rely on the early preparation of questions’ (Jick, 1979, p. 68). It ensured that focus was maintained and that the respondent’s weaknesses were identified and addressed thus improving data quality. Asking non-directive questions sought to find out the background information about the respondents who happen to be ex-offenders. This further boosts the fact that respondents are given a chance to freely express themselves, a fact that improves truancy of what they say.

3.3 Evaluative and structural questions

‘Evaluative questions sough to induce thinking in respondents therefore arousing their cognitive and emotional senses’ (Merriam, 1998, p. 117). They employ inferential scale, which help a respondent evaluate and pass a judgment related to a particular issue. This ensures that the real thoughts about an issue are given. For this case, male ex-offenders are regarded outcast and are less likely to be hire by employers after prison. These questions helped much in getting what they feel about all involved parties like employers and correctional authorities in different perspectives. Evaluative and structural questions also consider self-evaluation, which make respondents talk of what they thought was their shortcomings in trying to get jobs after prison (Jupp, 1989, p. 37). To make a fair comparison of data from different respondents, structural questions were drafted. These questions were designed in a very straightforward manner that could provoke respondents’ thoughts and thus promoting accountable responses. All this improved the quality of data collected.

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