Critical Thinking 00: Asking Good Questions

Critical Thinking Skill for COS 265

What is the skill of "asking good questions"?

It is a skill of asking questions that address the parameters of an issue or problem.

Why use this skill?

• It will help you to define your problem better.
• It provides for better communication.
• It provides for a deeper understanding of an issue or problem.
• You come up with better criteria and options for problem solving.
• Avoid making mistakes and future problems.

When should this skill be used?

• Before you address a problem.
• When you are interacting with others.
• When you are studying an issue.
• When you are assessing something that you have experienced.
• When you are reading a text.

How to use this skill.

Note: you should choose from the following items that would be applicable to your situation rather than doing them in a sequence.

• Ask open-ended questions that cover the full range of elements of an issue that have the following stems:

  • When would ...
  • How would ...
  • What are ...
  • Why is ...
  • Who would ...
  • Where would ...

• Use correct language and idioms for the person you are asking or the type of answer you are asking for.

• Ask questions that seek what might be missing from the information provided or the spectrum of the area you are addressing or measuring.
• Ask questions that might benefit others in their development.

• Ask a range of questions that look at what is being addressed from multiple perspectives or in a holistic manner.

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• Ask questions that force you to take multiple hats.

  • What information is needed? (White Hat)
  • What is going well? (Yellow Hat)
  • What is not working well? (Black Hat)
  • How can things be improved? (Green Hat)
  • What are you passionate about? (Red Hat)

• Check for the quality of your questions using the following rules:

  • Make questions clear. The question should communicate the same thing to whoever reads the question. Do not use vague terms like several, most, and usually.
  • Make items short. Shorter items are easier to understand and to be read than long items.
  • Avoid negatively stated items. Negatively worded items are often misread by respondents, because they overlook the negative word.
  • Avoid double-barreled items. A double-barreled item contains two questions in one. Look for the word "and" in the question to locate problems in this area. These items require a respondent to respond to separate ideas with a single response. The respondent may agree with one of the elements in the question and not the other and therefore you do not know what their response means.
  • Do not use technical terms, jargon, or "large words". These questions might not be understood by all the respondents.
  • Ask general questions first and then more specific items. If a specific question is asked first, it tends to narrow the focus of the respondent when the general question is asked (Schuman & Presser, 1981).
  • Avoid biased or leading questions. If there are hints as to what you desire in the question, the respondent is more likely to give you this response.

What other critical thinking skills are often used with it?

• Multiple Perspectives
• Problem Solving
• Gather Information
• Consulting with an Expert

Examples

• How would you expect to manipulate or control the data?
• When would you use data structure X versus tool Y?
• Why does algorithm X not solve the problem?
• What are the benefits to switching to this data structure?
• What are the pitfalls of using this data structure versus the other?