The differences between novice and experienced teachers in terms of questioning techniques

Abstract

This study explored the difference between novice and experienced university teachers‘ questioning techniques in terms of the number and types of questions they ask, the amount of wait time they give, and feedback they provide to students‘ answers. I conducted the study with five novice and five experienced English teachers at Bilkent University School of English Language (BUSEL) and Middle East Technical University (METU) Department of Basic English. I collected the data through 20 classroom observations. I observed and audiorecorded each teacher twice in order to reduce the novelty effect. Also, I filled in a checklist, which enabled me to have a structured focus while collecting and analyzing the data. To analyze the data, I transcribed the question-answer episodes of the recordings and carried out priori coding. Novice and experienced teachers‘ data were compared both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings revealed that novice and experienced teachers differed in their questioning techniques in some aspects quantitatively, in some aspects qualitatively. The results also showed the distinction between training and experience since they were both found to be influential in teachers‘ questioning behaviors. It was discovered that while some questioning habits could be developed via experience, some of them were learned via training. The results may call teachers‘ and teacher trainers‘ attention to the effect of experience on teachers‘ questioning techniques. Also, thanks to the findings of the present study, teachers‘ awareness of the influence of their questioning behaviors on the students‘ interaction in the target language may be raised. Lastly, administrators and teacher trainers can arrange in-service training programs to make teachers aware of the latest techniques and methods in language teaching, and they can hold regular meetings to enable teachers to share their experiences.