What Is the Question?

Abstract

Asking questions is a vital part of information seeking: it begs an answer, it allows for modifi cation in response to fi ndings, it aids in comprehension, it fosters self-regulation, and it invites conversation. The skill of posing questions throughout the information-seeing process is often undervalued and under-taught. To ask quality, higher-level questions requires explicit instruction. Moreover, such instruction needs to take into account age-appropriate developmental processes. This paper examines the questioning behavior of youth, confronts the issue of question locus of control, and offers guidance in helping youth develop effective question strategies for comprehending information and questioning authority.

Aligning pedagogy and technology: A case study using clickers in a first-year university education course

“…This experience supports the findings presented above that the effectiveness of different questiontypes in the learning process and the need to stimulate independent and critical thinking amongst students by posing a range of carefully-constructed, usually open-ended questions (Atkinson & Hunt, 2008;Ertmer, Sadaf, & Ertmer, 2011;Farmer, 2007) is paramount in a student-centred pedagogical approach. Due to the lecturer's view that the answers to the questions were restricting students' independent and critical thinking, when this multiple choice structure was used again in a later lecture, the wording was changed.…”

“…Several studies highlight the effectiveness of different question-types in the learning process and the need to stimulate independent and critical thinking amongst students by posing a range of carefully-constructed, usually open-ended questions (Atkinson & Hunt, 2008;Ertmer, Sadaf, & Ertmer, 2011;Farmer, 2007). Whilst Caldwell (2007) provides an overview of question-types that are commonly used with clickers, Keller, Finkelstein, Perkins, Pollock, Turpen, & Dubson (2007) found that the most effective way of using clickers was to "ask conceptual questions appropriate for most students' level of knowledge" and "encourage students to discuss with their peers during clicker questions and create environments that get students to discuss" (p. 131).…”

How to guide effective student questioning: a review of teacher guidance in primary education

“…Important reviews in the literature on student questioning focused on issues such as its potential with respect to teaching and learning science—on teaching question generation strategies, on the role of student questioning in reading comprehension, literature and prose processing, and on the role of student questioning in the information‐seeking process (Cornbleth, ; Wong ; Biddulph et al ., ; Gillespie, ; Woodward, ; Rosenshine et al ., ; Graesser & Wisher, ; Janssen, ; Farmer, ; Chin & Osborne, ; Pedrosa de Jesus & Watts, ). These reviews have, however, not yet examined how teachers can address the key issues with respect to guiding effective student questioning.…”

“…Key issues for teachers seem to be: (1) to promote students' interest in curriculum topics and prompt students to experience a feeling of perplexity about these topics, (2) to support students in articulating investigable questions and to guide student questioning so as to address the width and depth of the curriculum, and (3) to support a collective enquiry that contributes to effective student questioning. Important reviews in the literature on student questioning focused on issues such as its potential with respect to teaching and learning science-on teaching question generation strategies, on the role of student questioning in reading comprehension, literature and prose processing, and on the role of student questioning in the information-seeking process (Cornbleth, 1975;Wong 1985;Biddulph et al, 1986;Gillespie, 1990;Woodward, 1992;Rosenshine et al, 1996;Graesser & Wisher, 2001;Janssen, 2002;Farmer, 2007;Chin & Osborne, 2008;Pedrosa de Jesus & Watts, 2012). These reviews have, however, not yet examined how teachers can address the key issues with respect to guiding effective student questioning.…”

“…Student questioning allows both autonomy, by acknowledging the personal need for seeking understanding, and the development of competence, by letting students pursue enquiries of their own interest. Second, student questioning is claimed to support knowledge construction because asking questions is a vital part of information seeking and requires a conscious effort by the learner to identify cognitive conflicts or knowledge gaps in his or her prior knowledge (Ram, ; Graesser & McMahen, ; Farmer, ; Pardo & Bakes, ). Finally, student questioning is considered to be an effective metacognitive strategy that helps learners to monitor and self‐evaluate their level of understanding (Scardamalia, ; Veenman, ), and can support forms of higher level thinking such as analysing, reasoning and hypothesising (Graesser et al ., ).…”