THE EFFECTS OF PROBING ON CHILDREN\u27S IMAGINATIVE WRITTEN AND ORAL EXPOSITION

Ninety sixth grade children were administered three written and three oral expository tasks in two conditions (probed, non-probed) to determine the effects of probing on performance. Children were randomly selected from two schools in Lafayette, Indiana. The expository tasks, administered to each child individually by a trained examiner, were short anecdotal passages which required the child to explain his or her thinking. Half of the children received the tasks in the non-probed condition which involved presentation of the task, a question about the passage, and a general request for explanation, Why do you think so? The probed condition followed a similar procedure except that six to seven additional probes were administered for each task. The answers of the children in the oral response mode were recorded on tape, transcribed, and scored. Achievement data were obtained from school records. Analysis of variance was performed on the dependent measure. The analysis indicated that probing produced significantly better performance. There were no significant differences between children\u27s responses in the oral and written modes. Finally, there was a significant interaction: probing was relatively more important to optimal performance in the written rather than the oral response mode. A multiple regression analysis found achievement and condition (probed, non-probed) to be significant contributors to the explanation of variation in performance on expository tasks. An interaction term of achievement by condition did not contribute beyond the effect of achievement and the effect of probing considered individually. Discussion centered around the significance of probing to optimal performance in both written and oral exposition, and the relevance of these expository tasks as measures of children\u27s thinking on school-type tasks. The efficacy of probing depending upon the achievement level of the child was also discussed, and implications for future research were considered