The paper titled "Students' Perspectives Regarding Classroom Questioning Strategies Used by EFL Teachers" focuses on understanding the perceptions of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students regarding the questioning strategies employed by their teachers. The primary research question investigates how students perceive the purposes, strategies, and effectiveness of classroom questioning in EFL contexts.
The study's purpose is to explore the specific questioning strategies used by EFL teachers and their impact on students' learning experiences. It aims to identify the types of questions teachers frequently use and how these questions contribute to the overall classroom dynamics, especially in terms of student engagement and comprehension.
The methodology involved surveying 126 male students from the Faculty of Languages and Translation at King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia. These students completed a 25-item questionnaire designed to capture their perspectives on the different questioning strategies their teachers employed.
Key findings indicate that students perceive that teachers primarily use questions to review learned material, maintain attention, and assess comprehension. However, the study reveals that teachers often focus on questions that require recall of factual information rather than those that stimulate critical thinking. Students reported that while teachers generally provide "wait time" after posing questions and positively reinforce correct responses, they rarely ask questions that encourage higher-order thinking or actively promote student inquiry.
The study concludes that EFL teachers should incorporate more complex questioning strategies that go beyond mere fact recall. It recommends that teachers be trained to ask questions that require deeper cognitive processing and actively encourage students to ask questions, thereby fostering a more interactive and engaging classroom environment. These findings underscore the need for a shift toward questioning strategies that develop students' critical thinking skills and promote a more dynamic learning atmosphere.