Questioning and responding in high school science classes: A classroom interaction analysis

This study analyzes classroom interaction and seeks to describe quantitatively and qualitatively the question-and-answer activity engaged in by teachers and students in selected high school science classes.A total of eight teachers together with their students in high school were randomly chosen for the purpose. Three lesson presentations per teacher were audio and video taped. Each lesson presentation lasted an hour. All recorded lessons as source data for the study were faithfully transcribed. The data were analyzed based on the categories set forth in the study.The study made use of the descriptive correlational method of research. Simple correlation was used to identify the relationship between types of teacher questions and student responses in terms of length, syntax and level of thinking manifested in the reply of the students. Significant differences in the types of questions teachers address their students within and among the different year levels were determined using the t-test.Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:1. Only 6.6 percent of the questions raised by the teachers were metacognitive, so that science teaching is still predominantly content oriented.2. The irregular distribution of questions in the sub-tasks of each level and the different stages of cognitive operations indicates the lack of careful planning toward the progressive development of thinking among students as the teacher leads students to learn science content. 3. The mean differences resulting from comparisons between and among teachers generally show that they significantly differed in the level of questions they employ in the classrooms except for the group of the third and fourth year teachers. The significant differences points to the fact that there are intervening variables that may influence the quality of teacher questions.4. The predominant pattern of questioning among teachers does not lead students to the higher mental processes.5. Based on the obtained correlation coefficients, the data reveals that the higher the level of teacher questions, the longer is the length of student responses, the more complex are the syntactic structures employed by the students and the more evident is critical thinking in their responses. The length and syntax of student responses are reliable indices of cognitive level of student replies.6. Although the teacher in general, employed the higher cognitive level questions, yet student responses predominantly manifest only ordinary thinking. The types of questioning do not lead student to more productive student output where language can be used creatively