This small-scale research is expected to serve as a reflective means for teachers so that they can explore their questioning types and develop their questioning strategies in their own classroom. It analyzed questioning types and strategies used by three teachers of general English classes.
The questioning types were classified based on three dimensions—purpose, form, and function—whereas the questioning strategies were classified into four strategies. The purpose-based questioning types, which were based on Long and Sato’s findings (1983), were classified into two: referential and display. The form-based questioning types, which were based on the classification of question types by Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999) and Biber et al. (1999), were classified into four major types: yes/no-questions, wh-questions, tag questions, and alternative questions. Yes/no-questions were further classified into five sub-types: focused yes/no-questions, uninverted yes/no-questions, contracted negatives in negative yes/no-questions, uncontracted negatives in negative yes/no-questions, and elliptical yes/no-questions. Wh-questions were also classified into five sub-types: unmarked wh-questions, uninverted wh-questions, emphatic wh-questions with ever, negative wh-questions, and elliptical wh-questions. Tag questions were classified into two sub-types: unmarked tag questions and unsystematic tag questions. The function-based questioning types, which were based on Long and Sato’s findings (1983), were classified into three sub-types: comprehension checks, confirmation checks, and clarification requests. The questioning strategies, which were based on Wu’s findings (1993), were classified into four strategies: rephrasing, repetition, decomposition, and probing.
The data were obtained from three recorded class meetings, each of which had a two-hour duration. After being transcribed, the data were then analyzed to see what questioning types and strategies each teacher employed and to obtain the number and percentage distribution of questioning types and strategies used by each of the three teachers.
The results showed that referential questions were more frequently used than display questions at higher levels. There were a substantial number of incomplete questions, a form-based questioning type that did not belong to the classification of form-based questioning types employed in this study. The predominant use of incomplete questions in a communicative classroom should be reviewed as this questioning type required accuracy, rather than promoting language practice. The function-based questioning types did not occur frequently at all stages. Likewise, the questioning strategies were not frequently employed, except for repetition. The frequent use of repetition in the communicative classroom raised a question whether it was used as a questioning strategy or for another reason. This study suggests that teachers use incomplete questions less frequently and try to use other form-based questioning types. It also encourages teachers to do action research in their own classroom and pursue their professional development. |