Table 5

Questions and prompts in semistructured interviewing

Type of question	Definition	Purpose	Example
Grand tour	General question related to the content of the overall research question, which participant knows a lot about	Initiate the interview Help participant to start talking about their experience	How has your pregnancy been so far?
Core questions	Five to 10 questions that directly relate to the information the researcher wants to know	Answer the research question(s) Help participant talk openly about the topic in an exploratory way Typically asked of all participants	What do you think pregnant women should do for exercise during pregnancy?
Planned follow-up questions	Specific questions that ask for more details about particular aspects of the core questions	Answer particular aspects of the core interview questions Obtain greater detail about responses Asked depending on participant responses	It sounds like you exercise most days. What activities do you do for exercise?
Unplanned follow-up questions	Questions that arise during the interview based on participant responses	Answer particular aspects of the participant response Obtain greater detail about responses Asked depending on participant responses	You mentioned that you were feeling lonely and didn’t have the energy to exercise during pregnancy. Can you tell me more about that?