4 knowledge and promote creative thinking. Thus, asking a good question is
cognitively demanding. However, Cotton 2010 says that the content of the questions and the
manner in which teachers ask them determines whether or not they are effective. Some mistakes that teachers make during the question and answer process include
asking vague questions, asking trick questions, and asking questions that may be too abstract for children of their age. When questions such as those mentioned are
asked, students will usually not know how to respond and may answer the questions incorrectly. Thus, their feelings of failure may cause them to be more
hesitant to participate in class. Teachers’ questions, in relation with the contributions that they can make to
language learning, will depend on students’ responses. the responses can be recitation or discussion The question type and the time given to students help
them formulate their answers as responses to the question. Sometimes students have no time to formulate or even to think about the answer to a certain question
asked by the teacher. That is why the wait time is also crucial in having good responses to questions being asked.
B. Problem Identification
This research examines teachers’ questions in the EFL classroom and the impact they have on the language learning process. Teachers’ questions are one of
the teaching strategies that can help students acquire the target language better. Typically, a teacher asks a question without considering what type of question is
being asked and how much time heshe gives for the students to formulate their answers. Consequently, heshe does not get sophisticated responses from the
5 students or even no responses at all. By asking the right type of question and
giving enough time for students to formulate their answers, a teacher automatically gets two benefits in language learning. First, a teacher can check
students’ comprehension of the lesson being taught, and second, heshe can monitor students’ language proficiency.
Thinking back of my own days in elementary and secondary school, after listening to the teacher’s explanation, I would wait for the teacher to call on me
with a quick question; it usually required a brief reply. It did not matter whether the subject was language or social studies or science, the question revealed
whether or not I remembered the material. Sometimes, the questions she asked resulted in no responses from the students. That is why questions should be used
in a way in which they can create an effective and powerful learning environment. Based on the above statement, a teacher should be aware of asking such a
question for the students to consider the question type, the function that it serves, and the wait-time given to students. It is also important to acknowledge how
students respond to a question. After knowing what the teacher should do, hopefully, heshe can obtain or even raise students’ comprehension in using the
target language.
C. Research Questions
This study aims to examine the types of questions which are used by teachers in the class and to find out what purposes the questions convey in the
process of teaching. The study is based on the following questions: 1 What types of questions do the teachers tend to use in the daily practices
of teaching in the EFL classroom?
6 2 What are the functions of the questions asked by the teachers?
3 How do the students respond to the questions?
D. Research Objectives
