Research Article

An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions

Volume: 13 Number: 25 March 21, 2025
EN TR

An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions

Abstract

Examining teachers’ questioning approaches in the classroom is critically important for effectively developing students’ mathematical thinking. In this context, the purpose of this study was to analyze the types of questions used by a fourth-grade teacher at a public middle school, focusing on the concept of fractions in mathematics instruction. To this end, ten lesson videos capturing the teacher’s instruction on fractions were analyzed according to a predetermined questioning framework. The findings indicate that the teacher predominantly used checklists and guiding questions during the lessons, while questions aimed at deepening student thinking, such as those for probing and extending thinking questions, were used less frequently. Additionally, it was found that the teacher mainly focused on procedural questions, using questions that encourage higher-order thinking in a limited manner. It was observed that the types of questions and the approach to questioning varied depending on the content of the lessons.

Keywords

Mathematics instruction, fractions, lesson analysis, primary school teacher, teacher question

Ethical Statement

Ethical Committee Permission Information Name of the board that carries out ethical assessment: İstanbul Medipol University Social and Humanities Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Board The date and number of the ethical assessment decision: 01.10.2024 -79171

References

  1. Baysen, E. (2006). The levels of teacher questions and student answers. Kastamonu Education Journal, 14(1), 21-28.
  2. Behr, M. J., Lesh, R., Post, T., & Silver, E. A. (1983). Rational number concepts. Acquisition of mathematics concepts and processes, 91, 126
  3. Biber, A., Tuna, A. & Aktaş, O. (2013). Students’ misconceptions of fractions and its effect on solving fractions problems. Trakya University Journal of Education 3(2), 152-162. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/trkefd/issue/21474/230175
  4. Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7-74. 02 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0969595980050102
  5. Bray, W. S. (2011). A collective case study of the influence of teachers’ beliefs and knowledge on error-handling practices during class discussion of mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 42(1), 2–38.
  6. Boaler, J., & Brodie, K. (2004). The importance, nature and impact of teacher questions. In D. E. McDougall, & J. A. Ross (Eds.), Proceedings of the 26th Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 774–782).
  7. Boerst, T., Sleep, L., Ball, D., & Bass, H. (2011). Preparing teachers to lead mathematics discussions. Teachers College Record, 113(12), 2844-2877.
  8. Bozkurt, A., & Polat, S. (2018). An examination of teacher’s questions for revealing students’ mathematical thinking. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT) 9(1), 72-96.
  9. Caram, C.A. & Davis, P.B. (2005). Inviting student engagement with questioning. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 42 (1), 19-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2005.10532080
  10. Cayton, C., Hollebrands, K., Okumus, S., & Boehm, E. (2017). Pivotal teaching moments in technology-intensive secondary geometry classrooms. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 20(1), 75–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-015-9314-y
APA
Bozkuş, F., & Arslan, Z. (2025). An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions. Journal of Computer and Education Research, 13(25), 133-155. https://doi.org/10.18009/jcer.1567459
AMA
1.Bozkuş F, Arslan Z. An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions. JCER. 2025;13(25):133-155. doi:10.18009/jcer.1567459
Chicago
Bozkuş, Figen, and Zeynep Arslan. 2025. “An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions”. Journal of Computer and Education Research 13 (25): 133-55. https://doi.org/10.18009/jcer.1567459.
EndNote
Bozkuş F, Arslan Z (March 1, 2025) An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions. Journal of Computer and Education Research 13 25 133–155.
IEEE
[1]F. Bozkuş and Z. Arslan, “An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions”, JCER, vol. 13, no. 25, pp. 133–155, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.18009/jcer.1567459.
ISNAD
Bozkuş, Figen - Arslan, Zeynep. “An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions”. Journal of Computer and Education Research 13/25 (March 1, 2025): 133-155. https://doi.org/10.18009/jcer.1567459.
JAMA
1.Bozkuş F, Arslan Z. An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions. JCER. 2025;13:133–155.
MLA
Bozkuş, Figen, and Zeynep Arslan. “An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions”. Journal of Computer and Education Research, vol. 13, no. 25, Mar. 2025, pp. 133-55, doi:10.18009/jcer.1567459.
Vancouver
1.Figen Bozkuş, Zeynep Arslan. An Analysis of Primary School Teacher’s Questioning in Mathematics: A Focus on Fractions. JCER. 2025 Mar. 1;13(25):133-55. doi:10.18009/jcer.1567459