The relationship between teachers’ teaching style and the number and types of questions they ask during shared book reading: An explorative study in early childhood education

This study investigated the relation between teaching style and the number and type of questions teachers ask during a shared book reading activity in early childhood classrooms. A total of N = 17 early childhood teachers participated. Teaching style was measured with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction for Primary Education. In addition, the number and type of questions teachers asked was measured by videotaping a shared book reading activity and coding the teacher turns using a self-constructed code scheme. Outcomes showed a positive correlation between the teaching style ‘helpful/friendly’ and the total number of questions teachers asked, and finishing-, how-feeling-, where- and -what-doing-questions. In addition, the teaching style ‘leading’ appeared to be negatively related to why-questions. The other two teaching styles that were included in this study were not related to the number and types of questions teachers asked. Although further research is required, this study provides evidence for a relation between teaching style and the number and type of questions teachers ask.
Keywords: early childhood education, shared book reading, teaching style, questioning