Teacher questioning in a Chinese context: Implications for New Zealand classrooms

Abstract

Teacher questioning is a very important aspect of teacher-student interaction in classrooms around the world. However, expectations of the purposes and types of these interactions can be variable, particularly across cultural contexts. This qualitative study considers the way teacher questioning is used in a mathematics class in a Chinese primary classroom. The types of questions, expectations for answers and teacher behaviours are described through the use of a short-structured observation. Questions were found to be restricted to a rapid-fire format and only a minority of students were called upon to answer questions. This is contrasted with the expectations of the use of questioning in Western contexts, and highlights the challenges for both Chinese teachers and students when they move into the New Zealand education system.