Investigation of Questioning Styles of Pre-Service Science and Primary Class Teachers in the Context of Bloom and Elstgeest

Abstract

This research paper investigates questioning styles of pre-service primary and science class teachers and suggests how questioning styles can be adapted to the goals of inquiry-based science education in Turkey. The present research was conducted in one of the Black Sea Region universities in Turkey between 2005 and 2007 in five school semesters. Participants were pre-service science and primary class teachers (N=119). The participants chose one biology topic from a science textbook and presented it to their peers by use of one of the questioning styles. Presentations were videotaped, transcribed, and translated into English. Cognitive levels of the questions were evaluated in the frame of the Bloom Taxonomy and Elstgeest's Classification. Also each semester one participant was interviewed regarding his/her perception over questioning styles (N=5). Interviews were semi-structured. The findings show that participants mostly tempt to use yes/no questions and hesitate to employ how questions. Questions are generally asked haphazardly without any logical order. Mostly questions are narrow. The present study gives some practical suggestions to develop questioning styles in accordance with the goals of inquiry-based science education. The results are also discussed and concluded in the frame of new science education curriculum.