Fergana state university philology and teaching languages

1.3 Factors affecting the use of questioning strategies
Questioning is a powerful technique for engaging students in learning and assessing their understanding. However, not all questions are equally effective in promoting higher-order thinking skills and eliciting meaningful responses. In this blog post, we will explore some of the factors that affect the use of questioning strategies in the classroom, and how teachers can design and deliver better questions to enhance student learning.
One of the factors that affects the use of questioning strategies is the purpose of the question. Depending on the learning objective, teachers may ask questions to:
- Activate prior knowledge and stimulate interest
- Check for comprehension and recall
- Probe for deeper understanding and analysis
- Encourage application and transfer
- Foster creativity and synthesis
- Stimulate discussion and debate
- Promote reflection and evaluation
Each of these purposes requires a different type of question, ranging from lower-order to higher-order questions. Lower-order questions are those that require students to recall facts, definitions, or procedures, while higher-order questions are those that require students to apply, analyze, synthesize, or evaluate information. Teachers should balance the use of lower-order and higher-order questions, depending on the level of cognitive demand and the desired outcome of the lesson.
Another factor that affects the use of questioning strategies is the quality of the question. A good question should be:
- Clear and concise: The question should be phrased in a way that is easy to understand and avoids ambiguity or confusion.
- Relevant and meaningful: The question should be aligned with the learning objective and the content of the lesson, and should relate to the students' interests and experiences.
- Challenging and appropriate: The question should be neither too easy nor too difficult for the students, and should match their readiness and ability level.
- Open-ended and divergent: The question should allow for multiple possible answers or perspectives, and should encourage students to think critically and creatively.
- Stimulating and engaging: The question should spark curiosity and interest, and should motivate students to participate actively in the learning process.
A third factor that affects the use of questioning strategies is the delivery of the question. How teachers ask questions can influence how students respond to them. Some of the aspects of effective question delivery are:
- Timing and pacing: Teachers should give enough time for students to think and respond to questions, but not too much time that they lose focus or interest. Teachers should also vary the pace of questioning according to the purpose and difficulty of the questions.
- Distribution and participation: Teachers should distribute questions evenly among all students, and avoid favoring or ignoring certain students. Teachers should also encourage participation from all students, by using strategies such as random selection, wait time, think-pair-share, or group response.
- Feedback and follow-up: Teachers should provide feedback to students' responses, by acknowledging correct answers, correcting misconceptions, or extending or challenging responses. Teachers should also follow up on students' responses, by asking probing or clarifying questions, or inviting other students to comment or elaborate.
In conclusion, questioning is a vital skill for teachers to master, as it can enhance student learning in many ways. However, teachers need to be aware of the factors that affect the use of questioning strategies, such as the purpose, quality, and delivery of questions. By designing and delivering better questions, teachers can engage students in higher-order thinking skills, elicit meaningful responses, and foster a positive learning environment.
Questioning strategies are methods that teachers use to elicit information from students, check their understanding, stimulate their thinking and promote their learning. There are many factors that affect the use of questioning strategies, such as the purpose of the question, the type of question, the timing of the question, the wait time, the feedback and the follow-up. Some of these factors are discussed below.⁴
The purpose of the question determines what kind of information the teacher wants to obtain from the students and what kind of cognitive skills the teacher wants to develop in the students. For example, factual questions can test students' recall of facts and concepts, while higher-order questions can challenge students' analysis, synthesis and evaluation of ideas. The purpose of the question also influences how the teacher frames and delivers the question, such as using clear and specific language, providing cues or hints, or using gestures or visuals.
The type of question refers to the format and structure of the question, such as closed-ended or open-ended, multiple-choice or short-answer, convergent or divergent, etc. The type of question affects how easy or difficult it is for students to answer and how much information they can provide. Generally, closed-ended questions require a single correct answer and can be answered quickly and easily, while open-ended questions allow for multiple possible answers and can elicit more elaborate and creative responses from students.
The timing of the question refers to when and how often the teacher asks questions during a lesson. The timing of the question can affect how engaged and attentive the students are and how well they can process and retain the information. For example, asking questions before presenting new information can activate students' prior knowledge and curiosity, while asking questions during or after presenting new information can check students' comprehension and retention. Asking questions too frequently or infrequently can also have negative effects on students' learning, such as causing boredom or anxiety.
The wait time is the amount of time that the teacher allows for students to think and respond after asking a question. The wait time can affect how confident and willing the students are to participate and how thoughtful and accurate their answers are. Research suggests that increasing wait time from 1 second to 3 seconds or more can improve students' academic performance and classroom behavior. However, wait time should also be adjusted according to the difficulty level and type of question.
The feedback is the response that the teacher gives to students after they answer a question. The feedback can affect how motivated and satisfied the students are with their learning and how well they can correct their errors and improve their skills. Effective feedback should be timely, specific, constructive and encouraging. For example, instead of simply saying "good" or "wrong", the teacher should explain why an answer is correct or incorrect, provide praise or criticism based on effort rather than ability, and suggest ways to improve or extend learning.
The follow-up is the action that the teacher takes after giving feedback to students. The follow-up can affect how deep and meaningful the learning is for students and how well they can apply their knowledge and skills to new situations. Follow-up strategies include asking probing or clarifying questions, asking other students to comment or elaborate on an answer, asking students to restate or revise their answer, asking students to apply their answer to a different context or problem, etc