Investigating Natural Differences in Mathematics Teacher Questioning Over Time

Abstract

Research on teacher questioning often provides snapshots of questioning practices or study how interventions can lead to development of questioning, but few studies have investigated if and how teacher questioning evolves naturally over time. This study explored such natural variation by analysing the questioning practice of a Norwegian elementary teacher as she was teaching a Grade 5 class over a period of two weeks in the Fall of 2022, and then as the same teacher was teaching the same class over a period of two weeks in the Fall of 2023. Quantitative analyses showed that there was a significant decrease in teacher questions from one year to the next, and the main change was in two sub-categories of teacher questions. Qualitative analyses indicated that these differences in teacher questioning were related to the establishment of classroom climate and norms. The study offers existence proof of the possibility for natural variation in teacher questioning over time, and these findings have implications for teacher education, professional development, and future research on teacher questioning.