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- Vol 4 RE: Chapters 7, 22
- Vol 4 TE: App C
generative questioningknowledge constructionexplanatory dialogueprior knowledge activationpeer learningcausal reasoningcollaborative discourseJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
King tests whether teaching children how to ask questions and generate explanations can improve peer learning after teacher-presented science lessons. Fourth- and fifth-grade students studied in pairs using self-generated questions.
Key ideas
One condition used prompts connecting ideas within the lesson; another added questions designed to activate prior knowledge and link it with new material; controls received less generative support. All treatment students learned to explain answers rather than exchange short responses. Analyses of dialogue, knowledge maps, and comprehension showed more complex knowledge construction when questioning explicitly connected new ideas with prior experience, with lesson-based generative questioning also offering benefits. The mechanism is not questioning frequency alone. Productive prompts invite comparison, causal reasoning, prediction, justification, and integration, while explaining makes understanding visible and gives partners material to examine. Teachers must model the discourse, provide stems, and establish norms for listening and elaborating.
Why it matters
The study involved particular ages, science lessons, and structured pair work, so transfer requires care. Its practical contribution is a teachable method for turning peer discussion from answer trading into collaborative knowledge construction.
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- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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