Teachers' questioning practices for enhancing learners' critical thinking in Grade 10 mathematics classrooms.

Abstract

This study explored the questioning practices used by teachers to enhance learners' critical thinking in Grade 10 mathematics classrooms. The study was grounded in the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy and Duron et al.'s (2006) critical thinking framework. A qualitative case study design was employed within the interpretive paradigm. Six teachers – two each from three public high schools in the Pinetown District of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal – participated in the study. Data were collected using three semi-structured instruments – a questionnaire, an observation schedule, and an interview schedule – and were triangulated and analysed thematically. The findings revealed that the teachers used various questioning practices. While all the teachers posed questions, those whose questions were restricted to the lower-order categories of the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (Levels 1 and 2: remembering; understanding) limited learners' opportunities to develop their critical thinking. Teachers whose questions targeted the higher-order categories of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (Levels 3 to 6: analysing, evaluating, creating) also integrated open-ended and adaptive questioning techniques, enhancing learners' critical thinking. The study's key contribution is the development of a model that integrates the cognitive levels of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy with Duron et al.'s structured critical thinking approach. This model offers a framework for using questioning that incorporates all six levels of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy to systematically develop learners' critical thinking. This research addresses a gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence of the questioning practices used in mathematics classrooms that demonstrates the need for professional development to enhance teachers' pedagogical use of questioning. The study underscores the importance of teaching through questioning. A new model – 'CTF+RBT' – was developed during this study that integrates the key elements of Duron et al.’s critical thinking framework and the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. To ensure the credibility of the CTF+RBT model, it is recommended that further research explore its applicability and its long-term impact on teachers’ questioning.