TEACHER QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH CLASSROOM INTERACTION IN GRADE TWELVE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL.

TEACHER QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH CLASSROOM
INTERACTION IN GRADE TWELVE
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

A THESIS

Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Pendidikan

By :

DEVI NOVITA SARI
Registration Number: 2123321018

ENGLISH AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS
STATE UNIVERSITY OF MEDAN
2017

ABSTRACT
Sari, Devi Novita. 2123321018. Teacher Questions in English Classroom

Interaction in Grade Twelve Senior High School. A Thesis. Faculty of
Languages and Arts. State University of Medan. 2017.
This study aims to find out the types of questions used by teachers and describe
the use of teacher’s questions in the teaching-learning process. This study was
conducted by using descriptive qualitative research design. The data source of
research was the English teacher of SMA Swasta RK Serdang Murni Lubuk
Pakam. The data was the utterances of teacher that delivered questions.
Techniques of collecting data were observation, recording and interviewing (the
teacher). The result of this study showed that there were four types of questions
used by the teacher during teaching-learning process with the total of questions
were 130. Teacher spent factual questions totally 55,4% (72 questions), empirical
questions were totally 21,5% (28 questions), productive questions were 3,1% (4
questions), and evaluative questions were 20% (26 questions). From those types,
factual questions were dominantly used by the teacher. This study also found that
the relation between teacher’s questions and teaching-learning process is teacher’s
questions brought the process of classroom interaction from begin at last.
Teacher’s questions built interaction between teacher and students from preactivity, main-activity, and post-activity. The use of questions by the teacher was
in order to get attract the students to be more active and to see how far the
students had mastered the lesson given. It can be concluded that the teacher’s
questions are as the technique of teaching.

Keywords: Teacher’s Questions, Teaching-Learning Process, Classroom
Interaction

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, the writer would like to thanks to the Almighty God, Jesus
Christ for the blessings during her academic year at English and Literature
Department Faculty of Languages and Arts (FBS) State University of Medan in
completing the thesis. The writer is also very grateful to the following people:
 Prof. Dr. Syawal Gultom, M.Pd., Rector of State University of Medan.
 Dr. Isda Pramuniati, M.Hum., the Dean of Faculty of Languages and
Arts (FBS) State University of Medan for her advice and encouragement
to complete the study.
 Prof. Dr. Hj. Sumarsih, M.Pd., the Head of English and Literature
Department as well as Dra. Meisuri, M.A., the Secretary of English and
Literature Department for their encouragement and motivation during the
writing of the thesis. Syamsul Bahri, S.S., M.Hum. the Head of English
Literature Study Program and Nora Ronita, S.Pd., S.S., M.Hum., the
Head of English Education Program for their encouragement to complete

the thesis.
 Eis Sri Wahyuni, M.Pd., the administration staff of English Department,
who helped her to fulfill this thesis.
 Dr. Siti Aisah Ginting, M.Pd. and Rita Suswati, S.Pd., M.Hum., the
writer’s Thesis Supervisors who had already motivated her to finish her
thesis by giving advices, comments, and corrections that has made her
learn many new things in academic.
 Safrida Lubis, S.Pd., M.Hum., the writer’s Academic Counselor that had
given her a great guidance through her academic years.
 Prof. Dr. Berlin Sibarani, M.Pd., and Rafika Dewi Nasution, S.Pd.,
M.Hum., the writer’s Examiners who had given valuable advices and
suggestions to her for the thesis.
 All the Lecturers of English and Literature Department during her
academic year at State University of Medan
 J. Manullang and E. R. br. Pakpahan, S.Pd., her extra ordinary parents
who have given her more than she could ask. They are her role models
who have given her an unconditional love, prayers, advices, and support.
They are the top persons on list who have built the writer to be what she
has to be in a good way.
 Eko Mei Jhon Duan Manullang / Lastiar Situmorang, Heri Dani

Aprianto Manullang, her the only brothers and sister-in-law, and Sasta
Michellaudya Manullang and Rizky Marchello Manullang as her
beloved nephew and niece, and her big family who have been there and
given supports and pray for her.
ii







Anggreini Purba, Dewi Wati Nainggolan, Mega Christina Marpaung,
Lintas Eben Ezer S as her awesome person Rosy Samosir, Rondang
Sihotang, Togar Sihite, and Andikha Forman Silitonga (Bojak
Family), and Andyka Sitanggang, her stunning friends, sister and
brothers that had accompanied her through years with their laughter,
motivation, supports, togetherness and love, and every happy moment that
she will always remember and the another friend of the writer who cannot
mention here one by one.

Drs. Masner Simarmata as the headmaster and all the teachers
especially Aguslani Siregar, S.Pd., M.Hum. and all the students of SMA
Swasta RK Serdang Murni Lubuk Pakam, for their welcome, permit and
the best cooperation for her while doing research to finish her thesis.
All friends in English Education Extension 2012 B for the worthy
memories as the college years.

Medan, April 2017
The writer,

Devi Novita Sari
Reg. 2123321018

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................

iv

LISTS OF TABLE ......................................................................................... vii
LISTS OF FIGURE ....................................................................................... viii
LISTS OF APPENDIX ................................................................................. ix

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 1
A. The Background of the Study .............................................................. 1
B. The Problem of the Study .................................................................... 5
C. The Objective of the Study .................................................................. 5
D. The Scope of the Study ........................................................................ 5
E. The Significances of the Study ............................................................ 6

CHAPTER II: RIVIEW OF LITERACTURE ........................................... 7
A. Theoretical Framework ........................................................................ 7
1. Classroom Interaction .................................................................... 7
2. The Forms of Classroom Interaction.............................................. 9
a) Teacher – Learner Interaction ..................................................... 10
b) Learner – Learner Interaction ..................................................... 13
3. Teacher Talk................................................................................... 14
4. Questioning Skill of Teacher ......................................................... 15

iv

5. Teacher’ Questions......................................................................... 18
a)

Functions of Teacher’s Questions ............................................ 19

b)

The Purposes of Teacher’s Questions ...................................... 20

c)

Types of Teacher’s Questions .................................................. 21

6. Why Use Questions ....................................................................... 24
7. Theory of Language Learning in the Classroom............................ 25
8. Interaction of Teacher’s Questioning in Teaching-Learning
Process ........................................................................................... 27
B. Relevance of the Study ......................................................................... 29
C. Conceptual Framework ........................................................................ 31

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...................................... 34
A. Research Design ................................................................................... 34
B. The Data and Source of the Data.......................................................... 35
C. The Instruments of Data Collection ..................................................... 35
D. The Technique of Collecting Data ....................................................... 35
E. The Technique of Analyzing Data ....................................................... 36

CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DICSUSSION ................ 38
A. Research Findings ............................................................................... 38

B. Discussion ........................................................................................... 56

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ............................... 59
A. Conclusion .......................................................................................... 59
B. Suggestion ........................................................................................... 60

v

REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 62
APPENDICES ..............................................................................................

vi

64

LISTS OF TABLE
Table.2.1 Words Found in Factual Questions .................................................. 22
Table.2.2 Words Found in Empirical Questions .............................................. 22
Table.2.3 Words Found in Productive Questions ............................................ 22
Table.2.4 Words Found in Evaluative Questions ............................................ 23

Table.2.5. Description of Question Types ....................................................... 23
Table 2.6 Example of Teaching-Learning Process in a Lesson Plan ............... 28
Table 4.1 Distribution of Types of Teacher’s Question .................................. 39
Table 4.2 Percentages of Factual Questions ................................................... 40
Table 4.3 Percentages of Empirical Questions ............................................... 42
Table 4.4 Percentages of Productive Questions .............................................. 44
Table 4.5 Percentages of Evaluative Questions .............................................. 45

vii

LISTS OF FIGURE
Figure.2.1. Teacher-Learner Interaction .......................................................... 12
Figure. 2.2 Learner-Learner Interaction ........................................................... 13
Figure. 2.3 Conceptual Framework .................................................................. 33

viii

LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: OBSERVATION TRANSCRIPT .......................................... 64
APPENDIX B: TEACHER’S QUESTIONING .............................................. 87

APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS .............................................. 136

ix

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. The Background of the Study
In a teaching learning process, it is absolute that there should be
interaction in the classroom as called classroom interaction, which refers
to the interaction of the participants in that class (teacher and students)
during the teaching-learning process. Here, the teacher has a right to give
questions for the students in order to see how far the students can
comprehend the study (through the responses of the students).
Teacher’s questioning is very important in starting and maintaining
interaction within the classroom. As Richard and Lockhart (1996:185)
state that questioning is one of the most common techniques used by
teacher and served as the principal way in which teacher’s control of the
classroom interaction. When the teacher asks question (s), it is available
for the students to answer the question (s) even it is just simple answer
given. The interaction in questioning and answering is one part of a
communication process. According Al-Darwish (2012:80) Questioning
and answering is important for student success in the classroom, and even
experienced teachers do not perform well if they do not employ questions
in appropriate ways. Types of questions which are given by the teacher
actually should get the feedback from the students during the whole
classroom interaction itself. Through those questions that related on, the

1

2

teacher should be able to know which questions that can attract students’
participation in giving the answers by their outcomes, their desire to giving
opinions or like critical thinking. Furthermore, teacher should pay
attention to the types of questions in questioning and use it as a question
strategy in function of increasing their outcomes and making a good
classroom interaction be productive, not just like give them knowledge
without exploring their knowledge itself.
A common problem that EFL (English as a foreign language)
teachers are in facing is to deal with a passive class, where students are not
responsive and avoid the interaction with their teacher. Because of this
problem, the teacher has a right to stimulate the students through
appropriate questions and good reaction also. Shaunessy (2005:10) argues
that the reaction of the teacher should be important and appropriate to the
purpose of the questions given to the students.
Based on the writer experience in Integrated Teaching Practice
Program (PPLT) 2015, it had been observed that many students could not
understand what their teacher asked about. Firstly, when teaching ran, the
teacher just had a sit; taught and explained the lessons in simply ways,
moreover, when teaching, the teacher’s articulation was bad and in
delivering some questions, the questions given were ungrammatical and
very simple, so it could not increase the students’ participation. To clarify
this simply observation, the students had been asked and they told that
they were lazy to study with their teacher. They did not know every

3

question that given to them exactly. So, they just listened without
accepting something. Furthermore, they were not brave to explore their
ideas because of lacking knowledge and also they were very passive
during the teaching-learning process itself.
T
S
T
S
T

: Morning
: Morning sir
: Have you worked your homework? Udah kalian kerjakan PR
kalian itu?
: Yes sir.
: Ok, ayo kita periksa. What the answer number 1? (his voice was
too smooth). Hmmm, ok, write on the blackboard. (and one by
one the students wrote the answer and the teacher checked the
answer by himself only) ok, look at in page 24, and do the
exercise.

Because of this experience, the main point which can be taken is
that a good teaching is when among the teacher and students have
interaction well during teaching-learning process itself. The teacher should
give questions to stimulate the students’ participation and creative
thinking.
As a preliminary data, an observation was carried out before in
SMA RK Serdang Murni Lubuk Pakam. The preliminary data can be seen
in the following dialogue:
T
Ss
T
Ss
T

: Good morning everybody?
: Good morning ma’am!
: Any absent? Ada yang tidak hadir?
: no ma’am. Semua hadir ma’am.
: hmm, okay. Today, we are going to learn about health. Now,
open your book in page 88. You can see the title about “beware of
smoking”. Coba liat halaman 88, setelah itu buat dialog tentang
larangan merokok. You have to make a conversation about
smoking. Before you make the dialogue, please write down these
expressions. Kalian salin contoh-contoh ekspresi di papan tulis,

4

(the teacher wrote the expressions) kemudian you must translate at
all. After that, make the dialogue with your friend which consists
of two.
From the preliminary data above, it can be seen that there is no
questions to attract the students’ critical thinking. Because of this action,
the classroom interaction will be passive. They cannot develop their
critical thinking and participations.
Questioning here is typically implemented by teachers in their
teaching process. It is basically implemented in order to build and increase
interaction in the classroom, and also to stimulate the language production
of students. It is unfortunate that the teacher does not realize the
importance of using appropriate questions types and strategy in order to
help them through producing the language. Because of that, they will get
boring and they will be unmotivated to speak or develop their speaking
skill.
For concerning explanation above, the researcher is interested to
conduct a study about the type of questions used by the teacher and
describe why the teacher’s questions are realized in teaching learning
process in SMA RK Serdang Murni Lubuk Pakam in order to find out the
questions used frequently and effectively in classroom interaction.

5

B. The problems of the Study
In accordance with the previous background of the study, the
problems of the study are formulated as following:
1. What types of teacher’s question are used during the English teachinglearning process in SMA RK Serdang Murni Lubuk Pakam?
2. Why are the types of teacher’s question used in teaching-learning
process as the way they are?

C. The Objectives of the Study
In supporting of the research problem of the study, the objectives
of the study are formulated as following:
1. To find out the types of teacher’s question used during the English
teaching-leaning process in SMA RK Serdang Murni Lubuk Pakam.
2. To describe the reason why the teacher’s questions are used in
teaching-learning process as the way they are.

D. The Scope of the Study
The study is limited to analyze the types of questions used by the
English teacher during teaching-learning process in classroom interaction
through one meeting in reading comprehension session where the types of
questions are factual questions, empirical questions, productive questions
and evaluative questions. This study will be applied in XII IPA 2 of SMA
Swasta RK Serdang Murni.

6

E. The Significances of the Study
The findings of this study are expected to provide information
which may have theoretical as well as practical value for teachers.
1) Theoretically significance,
The research findings of this study later are expected to be useful for
the enrichment for the addition of some new theories and information
in the area of how the teachers should provide their questions to
stimulate the students’ curiosities and participations during the
classroom interaction itself.
2) Meanwhile practically, the findings are useful for the teachers in
teaching-learning process, which types of question can affect and
improve the students to be more active.

CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion
After analyzing the types of question based on the research findings and
discussion in the previous chapter, it could be drown the conclusion of the
present study which was designed to suit the objectives of the study: to find out
the types of teacher’s questions used during teaching-learning process in SMA
Swasta RK Serdang Murni Lubuk Pakam and to describe the reason why the
questions are used in teaching-learning process. The conclusion of the present
study can be drawn as follows:
1.

Dealing with the types of teacher’s questions, it was revealed that the
teacher used Factual questions totally 55,4%. On the other hand, the
Empirical questions were raised totally 21,5%, meanwhile the
Productive questions were comprised 3,1%, and the Evaluative
questions were 20%. And the most dominantly used was Factual
Questions. Although most of the questions posed by the teacher to be
factual questions, the teacher seemed to be of those types of teacher
who tried to promote negotiation of meaning in the classroom.

2.

Dealing with reason of using the teacher’s questions, firstly, the factual
questions were used by the teacher because the teacher wanted to ask
the students to simply recall of their knowledge and comprehension
about the topic. Secondly, empirical questions used by the teacher

59

60

because the students were demanded to be able while integrating and
analyzing given as the application. Thirdly, productive questions used
by the teacher because the teacher would like the students to be more
creative while thinking and producing something unique as the answers.
And the last, evaluative questions used by the teacher because the
teacher wanted the students to make judgment about something given
such in this present study the topic was discussion text, so here the
students were asked to give opinion and then judge, but not only giving
and judging, but also expressing the value. It can attract students’
attention and participation in the teaching learning process. It can be
started from the pre-activity until main-activity. In teaching learning
process teacher will know how understand students by posing
questions.

B. Suggestion
1. The teacher should be aware while posing the question during the
teaching-learning process. The questions which are used should be
appropriate with the lesson. The teacher also may provide
immediate feedback which will motivate students to participate. In
this way, rather than directly saying that the students’ response is
unrelated to the questions, the teacher can reconstruct the questions
and raise it to the class for them to think about, so that the target
language and the goals of the lesson can be achieved by the

61

students. These types of questions in this present study can be used
by the teacher in order to be reference for improving the students
learning and developing teaching skill.
2. The findings of this research can be used as a reference to give
better understanding for the future researcher; the next researcher
may provide additional information and comparison that might be
relevant to the study.

REFERENCES
Al-Darwish, S. 2012.The Role of Teacher Questions and The Socratic Method in
EFL Classroom in Kuwait. Kuwait: Public Authority for Applied
Education & Training, College of Basic Education Al Shamiya. Vol.2
No.4
Ambrosio, Y M U. 2013. Question in Teacher Talk: What Questions are Frequent
and How It Affects Critical Thinking. Vol. 68.13
Auerbach, C F &Silverstein, L B. 2003. Qualitative Data: An Introduction to
Coding and Analysis. New York & London: New York University Press.
Bloom, B S. 1956. Taxanomy of Educational Objectives. Handbook 1: Cognitive
Domain. New York: David McKay
Bogdan, R & Biklen, S K. 1992. Qualitative Research for Education: An
Introduction to Theory and Methods. Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon
Brown, H D. 1996. Teaching by Principles an Interactive Approach to Language
Pedagogy.New York: Prentice Hall Regents.
Brown, H D. 2001. Teaching by Practice: An Interactive Approach to Language
Pedagogy. London: Longman
Cashdan, A. 1979. Language, Reading, and Learning. Oxford: Basi Blackwell
Clark, L & Starr, I. 1981. Secondary and Middle School Teaching Methods. USA:
Macmillan
Cooper, James at all. 2011. Classroom Teaching Skills. USA: Wadsworth
Course, S. 2014. ELT Students’ Use of Teacher Questions in Peer Teaching.
Social and Behavior Science 158
Dagarin, M. 2004. Classroom Interaction and Communication Strategies in
Learning English as A Foreign Studies in The English Language and
Literature in Slovenia. ELOPE. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Dewey, John. 1993. How We Think. Boston: D.C.Heath
Drawbaugh, C& Hull. 1971. Agricultural Education: Approaches to Learning and
Teaching. Columbus: Charles E Merrill
Faruji, L F. 2011. Discourse Analysis of Questioning in Teacher Talk. Vol. 1 No.
12. Academic
Harmer, J. 1998. How to Teach English. London: Longman
Harmer, J. 2000. The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Longman

62

63

Hong-Xi, Y. 2007. Lesson Depend on Questioning-Questioning Skills of Junior
English Class. Cina English Teaching and Research of Middle School and
Primary School
Hussin, Habsah. 2006. Dimension of Questioning: A Qualitative Study of Current
Classroom Practice in Malaysia. V.10. TESL-EJ
Kerry, T. 2002. Explaining and Questioning. Cheltanham. UK: Nelson Thornes
Kumpulainen, K & Wray, D. 2002. Classroom Interaction & Social Learning
from Theory to Practice. London: RoutledgeFalmer
Ma, X. 2008. The Skill of Teacher’s Questioning in English Classes. V. 1 No. 4
CCSE Journal
Mauigoa, L & Tekene. 2006. Enhancing Teachers’ Questioning Skills to Improve
Children’ Learning and Thinking in Pacific Early Childhood Centers. V. 3
Journal
Qashoa, S H. 2013. Effects Teacher Questions and Syntactic Structure on EFL
Classroom Interaction. Vol. 7. No.1 TIJOSS Journal
Ribbas, M S. 2010. The Effects of Teacher Talk on Students’ Oral Productions.
(Final Master Dissertation)
Richards, J& Lockhart, C. 1996. Reflective Teaching in Second Language
Classrooms. New York: Cambridge University
Scrivener, J. 2005. Learning Teaching: A Guidebook for English Language
Teachers. USA: Macmillan
Shaunessy, E. 2005. Questioning Strategies for Teaching the Gifted. Texas:
Prufrock
Shomoossi, N. 2004. The Effect of Teacher’s Questioning Behavior on EFL
Classroom Interaction: A Classroom Research Study. The Reading Matrix
Tuan, T L & Nhu, K T N. 2010. Theoretical Review on Oral Interaction in EFL
Classrooms: Studies in Literature and Language. Vol.1, No.4, pp.29-48.
Reviewed from https://www.learner.org.>pdf>session6.
(Classroom Questioning)

Cotton,

Kathleen

Reviewed from http://www.School.stjosephwaconia.org Born-Selly (Asking
Productive Questions