Answer to Question 1
ANS: C
In probing, the interviewer asks participants to elaborate further on a topic through the use of non-threatening but thought-provoking questions. Although the questions are controlled by the researcher, the interviewer needs to establish a permissive atmosphere where the participant is encouraged to respond fully and honestly to the questions asked. Verbally or non-verbally asserting that the interviewer is in charge hinders this process. Structured questions may limit the range of responses given by participants, but this is not the purpose of probing. Ensuring a variety of interpretations of the question by different subjects is not the purpose of probing. Interview questions should be designed so that each subject's interpretation of the question is as consistent as possible while still encouraging the respondent to answer fully and honestly.
Answer to Question 2
ANS: A
The assumption underlying focus groups is that in settings that are permissive and non-threatening, participants are more likely to express and to clarify their views than they would be in individual interviews, especially for sensitive topics. This allows for richer data collection. Focus groups often generate a great deal of information from the participants' perspectives and do so in a short period of time, but this is not the primary advantage of using this data collection strategy. Conducting a focus group involves a great deal of advance planning to ensure that the interviewer asks relevant questions in a way that is non-intrusive, non-threatening, and safe. Both one-on-one and focus group interviews require careful planning. Transcribing tapes from both individual and group interviews can be time-consuming and challenging. This, however, is not the primary reason to conduct a focus group about the phenomena of interest instead of a one-on-one interview.