Student-Generated Questions Fostering Sustainable and Productive Knowledge Building Discourse

Gaoxia Zhu; Ahmad Khanlari; Monica Resendes

doi:10.21432/cjlt27978

Authors

Gaoxia Zhu National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
Ahmad Khanlari University of Toronto
Monica Resendes University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt27978

Keywords:

knowledge building, student-generated questions, productive discourse, sustainable discourse, science education

Abstract

The role of questions in student learning is well recognized. However, the controversial issue of who should pose questions that direct inquiry continues: teachers or students? One perspective advocates that teachers generate questions as it assumes that students cannot generate high-quality questions. In contrast, Knowledge Building, a pedagogical approach that advocates transforming schools into knowledge-creation organizations, emphasizes student agency in generating authentic questions as they try to understand the world around them. This study examined the extent to which elementary students could generate questions and explore how student-generated questions help knowledge-building discourse progress. Comparing question threads (i.e., a series of online notes started with questions) and non-question threads (i.e., a series of online notes not started with questions), we noticed that questions posted by students engaged them in sustainable and progressive discourses, which is central to Knowledge Building. Moreover, the content analysis of the data revealed that the threads starting with questions were more likely to end up with productive threads than the non-question threads.

Author Biographies

Gaoxia Zhu, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

Gaoxia Zhu is an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She has a learning sciences, educational technology, and curriculum and pedagogy background. Her research interests include student agency, socio-emotional interactions, learning analytics, Knowledge Building, and computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL).

Ahmad Khanlari, University of Toronto

Ahmad Khanlari is a postdoctoral fellow at OISE, University of Toronto in Canada where he researches in educational technology and knowledge building environments. His research area is in Knowledge Building, learning analytics, educational robots, educational technology, engineering education, and STEM education.

Monica Resendes, University of Toronto

Monica Resendes is a researcher at OISE, University of Toronto in Canada. She is a consultant for the Ontario Principal’s Associations and is involved in a province-wide project to help build capacity around environmental inquiry and knowledge building in the classroom.

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