Investigative Interviewers' Perceptions of Their Difficulty in Adhering to Open-Ended Questions with Child Witnesses

• NCJ Number: 216852
• Journal: International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: Winter 2006 Pages: 316-325
• Author(s): Rebecca Wright; Martine B. Powell
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): LP0347170
• Sponsoring Agency: Australian Research Council
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study explored the perceptions of investigative interviewers regarding their difficulty in asking open-ended questions during interviews with children.

Abstract

Three main reasons were identified by investigators for their difficulty asking open-ended questions during child interviews: (1) the specificity of the information required from the child; (2) the unfamiliar nature of the open-ended questioning style; and (3) the difficulty in distinguishing between open-ended versus specific questions. It was found that the skill of asking open-ended questions was considered unnatural and novel. Moreover, the investigators’ previous interviewing experience and training actually impeded their ability to learn the open-ended discourse style. Previous training had emphasized the importance of asking specific “wh” questions, which elicit specific information and do not encourage free narrative accounts from those being interviewed. Implications of the findings include the importance of immediate individual expert feedback during the training process, the importance of devoting considerable training time to open-ended discourse, and the value of conducting mock interviews as training exercises. Research methodology involved conducting mock child interviews with four police officer and four child protection workers who were enrolled in a 2-week intensive training program on the investigation and assessment of child abuse and neglect. Open-ended interviewing techniques were presented during the training and the trainees were instructed to demonstrate open-ended questioning techniques in mock interviews with school children. Immediately following the mock interviews, the trainees were questioned about why they asked specific questions during the interviews. Thematic analysis was used to code the content of the interviews into meaningful themes. Future research should examine whether practice exercises are effective at changing trainees’ beliefs about the value of open-ended questions. Notes, references