Questioning is one of the main techniques used by teachers to help students think and to promote their participation in learning (Wilen & Clegg, 1986). Through questions asked by teachers, students have opportunities to think independently and creatively, to express themselves, and also to have a learning environment which promotes active learning and thinking (Açıkgöz, 2005; Küçük, 2006). Asking higher order questions increases the quality of teaching (Küçük, 2006); however, asking higher order questions alone is not enough. Teachers should also consider asking questions that have a purpose, are clear and understandable, promote higher level thinking skills, are appropriate for students’ cognitive levels, and encourage students to question their own thinking (Wilen & Clegg, 1986). Additionally, teachers should wait long enough for students to formulate an answer and encourage all students to participate in the learning process.
Related research shows that when teachers ask questions that require higher level thinking skills, students themselves start asking higher level questions and also the level of questions asked by teachers is related to students’ levels of achievement (Brualdi, 1998; Cotton, 2000; Harper, Etkina, & Lin, 2003; van Zee et al., 2001). Additionally, waiting long enough after asking a question is very important (Wilen & Clegg, 1986) and providing feedback is essential for increasing students’ achievement and motivation (Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik, & Morgan, 1991; Çimer, Bütüner & Yiğit, 2010; Nichol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006). Teachers are expected to not provide correct answers right away, instead they should guide students to find answers themselves (Küçük, 2006). Nichol & Macfarlane-Dick (2006) stated that effective feedback can provide various benefits such as improving thinking skills, shaping and providing information regarding students’ learning, motivating students, and helping students to reach goals.
Research in Turkey revealed that teachers mainly asked low level questions searching students’ memory skills (Aslan, 2011; Aydemir & Çiftçi, 2008; Ayvacı & Şahin, 2009; Baysen, 2006; Bektaş & Şahin, 2007; Gelen, 2002). Similarly, studies conducted abroad showed that teachers asked more questions that can be considered as low level (Nisa & Khan, 2012; Wilen, 1991). In terms of feedback, a study conducted in Turkey showed that teachers provided evaluative feedback in which they focused on their own judgement regarding what students said. These teachers did not provide descriptive feedback that could allow students to become knowledgeable about their progress and how to improve their skills (Çimer et al., 2010).
Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate questioning styles of 14 preservice teachers, teaching in two public primary schools in Ankara, according to different variables. The research questions of the study are:
1. What are the distributions of questions asked by preservice teachers according to;
a. Bloom’s taxonomy,
b. Being open/closed ended, and
c. Being related to daily life before and after training?
2. Are there any differences of preservice teachers’ questions before and after the training in terms of;
a. Duration of waiting time,
b. The relationship between the length of waiting time and cognitive levels of asked questions, and
c. The relationship between the length of waiting time and variables of asked questions such as being open/closed-ended and being related to daily life.
3. Are there any differences of preservice teachers’ feedback before and after the training in terms of;
a. Distribution of feedback?
b. The relationship between the kinds of feedback and cognitive levels of asked questions, and
c. The relationship between the kinds of feedback and variables of asked questions such as being open/closed-ended and being related to daily life.