ABSTRACT

Asking questions is an important way of acquiring information and knowledge and plays a significant role in a child’s learning processes. In this study, we examine what characterises the questions asked by children to their teachers in two kindergartens (4–6-year-olds) and six primary school classes (2nd–4th grade) when situated in a natural outdoor environment. Recordings are undertaken by means of action cameras and audio recorders. We also examine the contexts in which the questions are asked. We found that whereas the preschool children’s science topic questions mostly concerned subject matter (74–95%), the schoolchildren more often asked practical questions. Our findings indicate that providing the children with activities that open for the children’s own explorations of a variety of nature elements seems to elicit subject matter questions in the children. We also found that children ask subject matter questions to gain factual information, as well as first-hand experiences about the object being studied, and that they ask few questions of higher cognitive levels. By providing answers to the children’s basic information questions, this seems to elicit questions of higher cognitive levels. In all the question-asking settings, it is important that the teacher follows up on the children’s explorations.

摘要

提问是获取信息和知识的重要方式，在孩子的学习过程中起着重要作用。在这项研究中，我们研究了两个幼儿园（4-6 岁）和六个小学班级（2-4 年级）的孩子在自然室外环境中向老师提出的问题的特征。录制是通过动作摄像机和录音机进行的。我们还检查了提出问题的上下文。我们发现，学龄前儿童的科学主题问题主要与主题有关（74-95%），而学龄儿童更常提出实际问题。我们的研究结果表明，为孩子们提供开放的活动，让孩子们自己探索各种自然元素似乎会引发孩子们的主题问题。我们还发现，孩子们提出主题问题是为了获得事实信息，以及关于所研究对象的第一手经验，而且他们很少问更高认知水平的问题。通过提供儿童基本信息问题的答案，这似乎引发了更高认知水平的问题。在所有的提问环境中，教师跟进孩子们的探索是很重要的。并且他们很少问更高认知水平的问题。通过提供儿童基本信息问题的答案，这似乎引发了更高认知水平的问题。在所有的提问环境中，教师跟进孩子们的探索是很重要的。并且他们很少问更高认知水平的问题。通过提供儿童基本信息问题的答案，这似乎引发了更高认知水平的问题。在所有的提问环境中，教师跟进孩子们的探索是很重要的。