A Qualitative Study of Cognitive Demand and Pedagogical Practice in Tehsil Kohat, Pakistan

Abstract

Questioning is one of the key pedagogical processes by which the teachers direct learning, evaluate comprehension, and ensure cognitive processes in the classrooms. The study is a qualitative one that examines the questioning skill of teachers in government primary schools in Tehsil Kohat, Pakistan, specifically in the cognitive demand of the questions and their correspondence to the revised taxonomy of Bloom. The observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted in the classroom and using semi-structured interviews with twelve primary school teachers in ten government schools. Thematic analysis showed that lower-order questions related to factual recollection and fundamental understanding were significantly predominant, and higher-order questions based on analysis, evaluation, and creativity were quite few. The practice of questioning among teachers was also limited due to lack of wait-time, limited probing and evaluative feedback. Interviews also showed that time pressure, big classes, examination based courses, and profession training deficit all contributed significantly to questioning practices. The results indicate the disjunction between pedagogical possibilities of questioning and classroom implementation. The research adds context-specific data of the Pakistani primary education, as well as the importance of specific professional development aimed at increased-order questioning, dialogic instruction, and formative assessment practices.