EFFECTS OF TRAINING IN STRATEGIC QUESTIONING ON CHILDRENS PROBLEM-SOLVING PERFORMANCE

Forty-six 5th graders in 3 conditions worked in pairs to solve computer-assisted problems. One group (guided questioning) used strategic questions to guide their cognitive and metacognitive activity during problem solving, with partners engaging in a questioning-answering dialogue. A 2nd group (unguided questioning) was simply instructed to ask and answer questions with their partners during problem solving. A 3rd group (control) received no training or instructions in questioning. Guided questioners outperformed unguided questioners and controls on both a written test of problem solving and a novel computer task; they also asked more strategic questions and gave more elaborated explanations during problem solving than their untrained peers. This questioning strategy may promote problem-solving success by teaching users how to be strategic problem solvers, that is, how to ask for and provide task-appropriate elaboration during problem solving.