Examining question type and the timing of IRE pattern in elementary science classrooms

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations among types of teacher questions, student responses, and the timing regarding questioning within science classroom discourse. Thirty one teachers consented to the study and their classrooms were videotaped during a 40-minute science lesson. Classroom discussions that followed an Initiation-Response-Evaluation (IRE) pattern were coded. It was found that about 65% of all teacher questions were short answer questions. Teacher wait-time, student response, and teacher evaluation time were significantly higher in long answer questions compared to short answer questions. Finally, there were positive correlations among these three variables. Detailed analysis results for short and long answer question types were also examined as a part of this study.