Leading or Biased Questioning
Describe a situation in which you used a leading or biased question that resulted in a negative interaction. What could you have done differently to improve the outcome?
I remember a situacion when I ask a student on Finacial Aid about her employment situacion, the studen was unemployed , so I ask how you support yourself? and the student was very unconfortable with the question. I learned about this situacion to be more sympathetic asking the quiestion.
Tierney,
Great insight! Thank you for sharing your experience in the forum!
Dr. Jean Norris
Veronica,
Thank you for sharing your story!
Dr. Jean Norris
I have used a biased question when discussing material with a student, in hopes it would lead them to the right answer, and it did. But instead of hearing the student say the wrong answer and taking that opportunity to correct them and explain why and how we got to the right answer it left them confused.
I guess the example that comes to my mind is a personal experience with my 9 year old daughter. The way in which I asked her a question was in a leading way, as if I was already assuming that she was wrong even before I had let her telling me her side of the story. It resulted in having her feeling hurt because she felt as though I didn't care what she had to say. If I have a chance to do it all over again, I would take a step back and listen to what she had to say before judging her. :(
Thanks for sharing, Christina! It's true that using leading questions can cause a negative reaction, even thought that hasn't typically happened to you. Great awareness! It is so important to keep your own values, assumptions and beliefs out of your questions!
Dr. Jean Norris
Thanks for sharing, Joelle! How could you have worded these questions differently to avoid a negative reaction?
Dr. Jean Norris
After going through this model, I realize that there are times that I tend to lead a student into a particular field based on a conversation we have had. Usually this works out in my favor because it is the outcome the student is looking for; however, I shouldn't take this approach because it could turn against me. Instead, by asking a student their thoughts in a more open way I could avoid directing the student in answering the way I think they should.
What led you to registering at this time? What steps could you take to register before deadline and avoid a fee?
Joelle, Thank you for posting this scenario. This is a great example of awareness, and how your questions can appear - even if they are not meant that way. How could you have rephrased that question?
Dr. Jean Norris
I once asked a student that was late with her registration, and unwilling to pay a late registration fee, why she thought she was not responsible for the same deadlines and penalties expected of her classmates. This question escalated an already volatile student to one that was defensive and closed to anything constructive. I resolved the situation by approaching the student the next day and reflecting on the student's concerns, therefore validating her concerns and developing a repore with the student to continue working toward resolution of the situation.
NaTesha, Excellent! Thank you for all your great posts in the forum.
Elizabeth Wheeler
I can tend to ask questions like, "Don't you like this item rather than the other?" To make the question unbias I could have asked, "Which do you prefer?"
