Where Do Interview Questions Come From?

If you read the page on valid measures, you know that the way we develop the questions we use matters, a lot.  When developing interview questions it's not always as easy to just search for what past researchers have used.  The interview questions are typically customized to the individuals you are interviewing and have to be thoughtfully tailored for their experiences. However, the questions still need to be theoretically sound and have validity.  Remember, this isn't an interview for a chat show; it's research. You will need to extract information that connects back to the theoretical framework from which you are working. 

This is a huge topic. I am not going to rewrite a textbook here. Instead, I will give a few things to think about that will help you get started. Here's two key points I want you to take away: these questions must be carefully sought out; and you must, must, must work with your adviser of experts in the field throughout the process of developing the questions.

Inductive vs. Deductive & Structured vs. Non-Structured
Using data to verify a hypothesis? This is a deductive approach.  You can easily use standardized questions here. It makes the collection fairly straightforward, and the analysis as well.  For example, if you are seeking to understand if trauma influences school performance, you can ask participants something like: "tell me what it was like going to school after this experience.  Did anything change for you in school?" (This is a bit leading, but hey, I'm trying to make a point here...)  This question might help you find "yes" and "no" information.  This could confirm (or not confirm) a hypothesis that trauma does in fact influence school performance. And you could ask the same (a.k.a. "standardized") question of every participant.

What if you don't have a specific hypothesis that you are trying to confirm? What if you are working towards hearing the voice of the participant and bringing it to light? This moves you towards the inductive framework. You may have some standardized questions in this type of interview, but that might be to get things started more than anything else. What you really want here are prompts to elicit conversation that will reveal the experiences of the participant. 

Here are some things to think about when making interview questions:

1) What is your framework? When I say framework, I mean things like phenomenological, constructionist, or positivist. You will need to talk to your adviser and consult your texts on this.  This step really is crucial.  It's a long topic, and I am not going to take up space on it here.  Call your adviser.  Go get a cup of coffee and talk it out.
2) Have a road map. Although it sounds nice to say you are just going to have a conversation or listen, you need something to keep things focused during the interview.  Having an idea of where you want to go also helps reduce anxiety in social situation.
3) Think about an opening question.  Asking the participant to tell you about themselves is a common approach that can help put them at ease and get you very valuable information.
4) Now, what is the theoretical perspective you are working from?  What does that theory tell you to expect? What do past studies tell us?  Where are the gaps?  These questions will get you on the way to developing your interview questions.  This is an iterative process that goes something like this:  brainstorm--look up information--create questions--show adviser--start over--look up information--talk to expert--create questions--talk to adviser--make edits--talk to professional again--look up information--test out on unwilling family member (Kidding IRB! Kidding!)--run first interview--realize that the questions need to be changed...
It's iterative, and A PROCESS.  It takes time.  Go. Get started!

Resources
There are LOTS of resources on this. Here is one that I particularly like.  It is typically available through a University library.

Denzin, Norman K., and Yvonna S. Lincoln. 2011. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, Fourth Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.