Exploring the Relationship between Teachers’ Open-ended Questions and Students’ Participation

Abstract

Questions are an indispensable component of the teaching and learning process. Beyond doubt, teachers’ questions play a major role in getting students engaged with the content of the lesson especially in oral expression classes. Equally, students’ participation also plays a vital role in oral class interaction. The current study aimed at exploring the relationship between teachers’ open-ended questions and students’ participation. The hypotheses adopted in this study set out that students’ participation is dependent on the type of questions the teacher asks, and that there is a positive relationship between teachers’ open ended questions and students’ participation. The research was divided into two chapters; the first chapter covered the theoretical aspects of the study. It was divided into two sections; each of which presented an overview of one of the existing variables namely; teachers’ questions and students’ participation. With regards to the practical part, the study has adopted a correlative research method based on a classroom observation and a questionnaire for students. The findings have shown that open-ended questions are the most commonly used by teachers in OE classes. Additionally, the obtained data marked a positive relationship between teachers’ open-ended questions and students’ participation. Ultimately, the results revealed that some students face difficulties in answering teachers’ open-ended questions. However, teachers used some strategies in order to provide the necessary help for students to form an answer. In the light of the results obtained, the earlier stated hypotheses were successfully confirmed. Based on the results of the study, some pedagogical recommendations were suggested.