Question Asking During Tutoring

Question Asking During Tutoring

Spring 1994, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 104-137 | Arthur C. Graesser and Natalie K. Person
The study by Arthur C. Graesser and Natalie K. Person investigates the frequency and quality of questions asked during tutoring sessions, particularly in research methods (college students) and algebra (7th graders). Key findings include: 1. **Frequency of Questions**: Student questions were approximately 240 times more frequent in tutoring settings compared to classroom settings. Tutor questions were slightly more frequent than teacher questions in classrooms. 2. **Quality of Questions**: Questions were classified based on degree of specification, content, and question-generation mechanism to analyze their quality. Student achievement was positively correlated with the quality of student questions after some experience with tutoring, but not with the frequency of questions. 3. **Self-Regulation**: Students partially self-regulated their learning by identifying knowledge deficits and asking questions to repair them, but they need training to improve these skills. 4. **Hypotheses and Theoretical Schemes**: The study adopted a theoretical scheme developed by Graesser et al. (1992) to analyze the qualitative characteristics of questions, focusing on content, question-generation mechanisms, and degree of specification. 5. **Tutoring Sessions**: Two samples of tutoring sessions were analyzed: college students in a research methods course and 7th graders in algebra. The results showed that student questions were more prevalent in tutoring sessions compared to classroom settings, and the quality of student questions was positively correlated with achievement. 6. **Conclusion**: The study suggests that tutoring environments can facilitate more frequent and higher-quality questioning, which may enhance learning outcomes. However, further training is needed to improve students' self-regulatory skills in asking questions.The study by Arthur C. Graesser and Natalie K. Person investigates the frequency and quality of questions asked during tutoring sessions, particularly in research methods (college students) and algebra (7th graders). Key findings include: 1. **Frequency of Questions**: Student questions were approximately 240 times more frequent in tutoring settings compared to classroom settings. Tutor questions were slightly more frequent than teacher questions in classrooms. 2. **Quality of Questions**: Questions were classified based on degree of specification, content, and question-generation mechanism to analyze their quality. Student achievement was positively correlated with the quality of student questions after some experience with tutoring, but not with the frequency of questions. 3. **Self-Regulation**: Students partially self-regulated their learning by identifying knowledge deficits and asking questions to repair them, but they need training to improve these skills. 4. **Hypotheses and Theoretical Schemes**: The study adopted a theoretical scheme developed by Graesser et al. (1992) to analyze the qualitative characteristics of questions, focusing on content, question-generation mechanisms, and degree of specification. 5. **Tutoring Sessions**: Two samples of tutoring sessions were analyzed: college students in a research methods course and 7th graders in algebra. The results showed that student questions were more prevalent in tutoring sessions compared to classroom settings, and the quality of student questions was positively correlated with achievement. 6. **Conclusion**: The study suggests that tutoring environments can facilitate more frequent and higher-quality questioning, which may enhance learning outcomes. However, further training is needed to improve students' self-regulatory skills in asking questions.
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