Role of teacher questioning in promoting student engagement

Smart, J. B., & Marshall, J. C. (2013). Interactions between classroom discourse, teacher questioning, and student cognitive engagement in middle school science. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(2), 249-267.

Background

Research has shown that when teachers engage in meaningful follow-up questioning that builds on correct student responses, student cognitive processes are stimulated through the need to provide justification for their responses. Listening to their peers successfully explain their reasoning about a science concept can also increase students’ efficacy in approaching similar tasks.

Aims

The authors examined the teacher’s role in facilitating classroom discourse and supporting students’ higher-order cognitive processes within the secondary science classroom. The purpose was to (a) identify the elements of teacher-facilitated discourse that promote high student cognitive engagement, and (b) find out how these elements were manifested in the classrooms.

Sample

Ten Science teachers from two secondary schools collaboratively planned lessons informed by an instructional model for inquiry-based instruction for implementation in their classrooms.

Method

Four to 12 lesson observations for each teacher were conducted over a period of eight months. Five aspects of classroom discourse were examined: (1) questioning level, (2) complexity of questions, (3) questioning ecology: the extent to which oral questioning led to student discussions and/or reflections, (4) communication patterns, and (5) classroom interactions. Using an observation rubric informed by Bloom’s Taxonomy, the cognitive level of the teacher-led activity was measured at five-minute intervals during the lesson using a cognitive code (e.g. recall, apply, evaluate, etc.) that best described the activity.

Findings

There was a direct positive relationship between the five discourse factors facilitated by the teacher and the students’ cognitive level. A prevalence of lower-order questioning strategies was found during science instruction, correlating with lower students’ cognitive engagement levels. The following continuums describing the range of discourse factors observed was reported: (1) questioning level: from lower order to analytical level, (2) complexity of questions: from a focus on a correct answer to a focus on evidence and reasoning, (3) questioning ecology: from teacher explains to student explains, (4) communication patterns: from teacher controlled to being guided by student questions, and (5) classroom interactions: from didactic patterns of interaction to teacher facilitating dialogue between students.

Implications

The authors suggested that teachers could begin to increase the quality of their questioning by planning specific questions in advance of their instruction. Professional development opportunities offering experiences such as lesson observations of exemplary practices in student-centred discourse as well as the formation of a community of mentors and co-learners within the school are integral to building an instructional repertoire that facilitates higher levels of student engagement.

Original article retrieved from ProQuest.