Teacher Questioning Techniques and Reading Growth in Iranian EFL Learners: From Preaching to Practicing

This study investigated the effects of teacher questioning techniques on the reading comprehension of Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners, Iranian English teachers’ current questioning practices, and their attitudes about effective questioning in teaching reading. The quantitative phase employed a quasi‑experimental design, in which pre‑intermediate EFL learners were purposefully selected, but were later assigned randomly either to Higher‑Order Questions (HOQs) group focusing on critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis or to Lower‑Order Questions (LOQs) group focusing on check recall, recognition, and basic comprehension. Significant gains were reported for both groups from pretest to posttest, but the difference between them was not statistically significant. The thematic analysis of classroom observations (۱۰ sessions) and semi‑structured interviews with ۱۰ experienced EFL teachers revealed that teachers relied mainly on LOQs (۵۷.۷۹%) but incorporated more HOQs (۴۲.۲۱%) during post‑reading stages to promote deeper cognitive engagement. According to the interviews, it is suggested to choose a flexible and adaptive questioning approach which is adapted to learners’ linguistic proficiency, cultural background, and lesson objectives and makes use of visual aids, interactive tasks, and scaffolded support.

کلیدواژه ها:

Lower-order versus Higher-order questions ، Pre-intermediate English learners ، Reading Comprehension ، Teacher questioning techniques