frågestegen

Frågestegen, literally meaning “the question staircase” in Swedish, is a pedagogical and interview technique used to structure dialogue and assessment by guiding participants from broad, open-ended questions toward more specific, probing prompts. The method is described in Swedish education and communication training as a sequence of increasingly detailed question levels designed to promote comprehension, reflection, and precise responses.

Typically the ladder comprises several levels. Level 1 contains general or factual questions (Vad hände? What happened?). Level 2 asks for clarification or reasons (Varför hände det? Why did it happen? Hur gick det till? How did it unfold?). Level 3 invites elaboration and interpretation (Vad betyder det? What does it imply?). Level 4 seeks evaluation or implication (Vad bör göras? What are the consequences?). Some variants begin with concrete prompts and move toward abstraction, while others use a progressive narrowing from broad to specific.

Frågestegen is used in classrooms to scaffold reading comprehension, in language instruction to build speaking skills, in social work and counseling to explore client concerns, and in journalistic or qualitative research interviewing to structure data collection while reducing respondent burden. It can be employed in individual conversations or group discussions.

In practice, the technique requires sensitivity to context to avoid leading responses and to respect participants’ readiness. Critics note that overly rigid application can constrain spontaneity. The concept aligns with related practices such as funnel questioning and Socratic questioning and has parallels in many language and educational settings beyond Sweden.