Teacher’s questions in EFL classroom interaction (a descriptive study of teacher and students interaction of class XI at SMK Palapa Semarang in the academic year of 2012/2013

Questioning is typically implemented by teachers in their teaching process. It is a basic method implemented by teacher in order to build interaction in the classroom and also to stimulate the students to perform their speaking skill in target language. Unfortunately, some teachers do not realize about the importance of using appropriate questioning types and strategy to help the students trying to practice their speaking skill in target language. The present study was conducted in class XI TKJ of SMK Palapa Semarang in the academic year 2012/2013 which attempted to describe the types of questions that the teacher usually applies in the classroom during teaching and learning process, to find out the teacher’s purposes of applying those levels of questioning, and to describe the effects of applying the levels of questioning for the students’ understanding of English, and to identify students’ oral responses towards teacher questions. This is a descriptive qualitative research; the data were collected by recording the teaching and learning process and interviewing the English teacher. The transcript of the teaching and learning process and the interview were made. Each type of questions used by the teacher in teaching the students as well as students’ oral responses were analyzed, while the interview result was used as additional information for this study. Based on the research findings, it was discovered that the teacher utilized certain types of questions. Referential-open questions that were used by the teacher were considerably fewer than the display-closed questions. Referential-open questions that can elicit longer responses had the percentage 31%. On the other hand, display-closed questions had the percentage 69%. Questions that are categorized as display/closed questions were widely used for checking students’ understanding of the materials questions that categorized as referential/open questions were widely used for looking for certain information from the students. It was found that in all season 70% of students’ responses were in form of words. The production of words was the effect of employing display/closed question. In the other hand, students’ responses in form of sentence were 7 sentences. It was the effect of employing referential/ open question