A Study Of Questioning Strategies In Second Language Teaching

Questioning is a universally used approach in second language teaching. Appropriate employment of questioning strategies in a second language classroom is significant in improving the effectiveness of classroom interaction and the quality of student learning. Besides, it also helps to develop students' interactional competence as well as language abilities, and stimulates their initiative in participation and the use of target language. A large number of studies have been conducted by both Chinese and western researchers on this problem, and the research questions mainly concern 1) types and levels of questions 2) factors that affecting questioning in second language teaching and 3) the use of various questioning strategies.This study applies the theories of second language classroom interaction and language use, employs a survey design and quantitative analysis, and try to find the answers to the following research questions:.1) What are the influential factors in questioning in a second language class?2) What positive strategies should be employed in order to carry out effective questioning?The survey was conducted on 79 students of English ranging from 16 to 18 years old. The analysis on the data led to the following answers:Teacher's behavior and attitude, questioning skills, designs of question and student participation greatly affect the effectiveness of questioning.Strategies proved to be effective in classroom questioning include: 1) positive reinforcement 2) probe 3) redirection 4) modification of language 5) employment of wait-time and 6) using a skill hierarchy.The findings of this study indicate that second language teachers should employ various strategies in conducting classroom questioning so as to develop students' interactional competence and their abilities in using the target language. Moreover, teacher's language used in classroom context should be adapted to students' ability and the goals of teaching, hence to create supportive atmosphere for participation. This study has also provided some suggestions for future research in this area.