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http://dx.doi.org/10.5467/JKESS.2021.42.2.221

Exploring Limitations in Applying Blosser's Question Category System for Science  

Chung, Heekyung (Department of Science Education, Ewha Womans University)
Shin, Donghee (Department of Science Education, Ewha Womans University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean earth science society / v.42, no.2, 2021 , pp. 221-244 More about this Journal
Abstract
To examine the limitations of the the Blosser's (1973) 'Question Category System for Science', which is mainly applied to research in science education in Korea, we analyzed 30 hours of class conversation in a small group program (for first-year middle school students) with a researcher participating as a teacher. When classified according to Blosser's (1973) classification system, distinguishing between 'open and closed questions' was difficult. Questions with the same content were classified into different types depending on their context, whereas some questions could not be classified appropriately. Additionally, higher-level questions (open questions) were not more effective than lower-level questions (closed questions) in improving students' thinking ability or participation in class. The questionnaire's effect differed depending on the information provided by the teacher before questioning, and in many cases, previous question influenced the next questions. However, in the science education questionnaire research based on Blosser's (1973) classification, which is mainly conducted in Korea, each individual question is classified according to the cognitive level, disregarding the influence of context and prior and subsequent questions and the quality of instructions is evaluated by the frequency of higher level questioning. The results of this study indicate that the method of evaluating instruction quality based on the frequency of high-level questioning, which is currently conducted in domestic science education inquiry research, should be avoided.
Keywords
Blosser's Question Category System for Science; open questions; closed questions;
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