Art of Questioning (Aq): A Tool in Improving the Reading Comprehension of the BSED-I Majors in English and Science at Holy Child Jesus College

Abstract

Introduction

Comprehension, or extracting meaning from what the student read, is the ultimate goal of reading. The process of comprehension is both interactive and strategic. Rather than passively reading text, the student must analyze and internalize the importance of reading comprehension. One of the meaning-making strategies used by the teachers is questioning. Teacher-initiated questions shape the reading comprehension of the students. The teacher can use questions as valuable teaching tools to promote aesthetic responses, guide the meaning-making process, and foster higher-level thinking skills among the students.

Methods

This study used experimental design under quantitative research. Two freshmen classes were under study. Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major in Science, the experimental group, and Major in English, the controlled group. It employed the reading level scale such as frustration, instructional, and independence. It also employed a t-test in testing the hypothesis.

Results

The study showed that there are twenty-one (21) students at the instructional level and one (1) in the frustration level before the implementation of the art of questioning. After the implementation of the art of questioning, ten (10) students become independent and eleven (11) remained instructional. The remaining student on the frustration level during the implementation of the art of questioning become instructional after the implementation. This implied that the majority of the college students of Holy Child Jesus College belonged to the instructional level. This means that the reading level comprehension of the college students improved with the help of the art of questioning. The hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the level of comprehension of college students before and after the implementation of the art of questioning was failed to accept due to significant results in the T-test.

Discussions

Reading is fundamentally important for success. It can help students to express the knowledge that they can learn, they can interact and they can engage with the text. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written, and how they trigger knowledge outside the text. Questioning helps the students to understand what they have read. Moreover, questioning is an integral part of teaching and learning. This is the best way to encourage students to improve reading comprehension and it is also the best tool in promoting effective learning.