Students' Perceptions of the Conditions that Reduce or Enhance the Pedagogic Value of Instructors' and Students' Questions

Abstract

Students and instructors have specific views and attitudes about
their own questioning behaviour, derived from other sources such as former
students' opinions, thelf own schooling experience. trainmg. etc In an
endeavour to investigate tlleir views, the students were asked to list the
situations under which students' or instructors' questions would be useless
and a waste of time. The students were also asked how presented
classroom participants' questions would facilitate teachmg and leammg
process. Their responses showed that students vaned 111 theIr own
perceptions of questioning behaviour and certall7/y In their expenence of
them. The present study suggested that any move towards greater flexlblHty
in their queslfonmg behaviour needed to be built up on what students
currently perceive to be (acking in their questiolllllg and upon wllat they
might regard as a better way of learning.