Puchta, Claudia Potter, Jonathan Asking elaborate questions: focus groups and the management of spontaneity This paper analyzes question formats in a corpus of German market research focus groups. In particular, it identifies and studies the use of ‘elaborate questions’ (questions which include a range of reformulations and rewordings). The analysis highlights three functions of such questions in focus groups: (a) they are used to guide participants and head off trouble where the question type is ‘non-mundane’; (b) they help secure participation by providing an array of alternative items to respond to; (c) they guide participants to produce a range of opinion relevant responses. More generally, they help manage a dilemma between the requirement that the talk should be both highly focused on predefined topics and issues, and at the same time spontaneous and conversational. The analysis provides a range of interactional evidence for the pragmatic role of these formats. Question formats;Focus groups;Conversation analysis;Institutional talk;Market research;Linguistics;Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified;Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified 2012-03-01
    https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Asking_elaborate_questions_focus_groups_and_the_management_of_spontaneity/9475181