Questions in mathematics teaching: Teachers' perspectives in Serbia

Resumo

Questions play a central role in mathematics teaching, shaping classroom interaction, students' thinking, and learning opportunities. This study examines how mathematics teachers in Serbia perceive and use questions in their teaching practice, with particular focus on three complementary aspects: how teachers explain the nature of mathematics to students, the types of questions they report asking during lessons, and how they perceive and remember students' questions. The study was conducted as an exploratory mixed-methods investigation. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 209 in-service mathematics teachers during a national professional development seminar. The instrument included closed questions and three open-ended questions addressing: (1) teachers' responses to a ten-year-old student's question, "What is mathematics?"; (2) examples of questions teachers had recently asked their students; and (3) examples of students' questions that teachers perceived as interesting or significant. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while open responses were examined using qualitative content analysis. Coding was conducted in multiple phases, including independent coding by the author, AI-assisted checks of coding consistency, and verification by a second human coder. The results show that teachers most frequently conceptualize mathematics as a tool for developing thinking and logical reasoning, followed by references to everyday applications. Although teachers report asking questions very often during lessons, qualitative analysis reveals that these questions are predominantly content-focused and procedural, with relatively few reflective or metacognitive questions. Notably, fewer than half of the teachers provided examples of memorable student questions, despite reporting frequent student questioning. This discrepancy suggests a tension between perceived classroom interaction and the depth of professional reflection on students' inquiry. The findings highlight the need for targeted professional development focused on the quality of questions and their role within the teaching process, as well as on fostering students' capacity to formulate meaningful questions as a foundation for students' lifelong learning.

Dados da obra

Tipo

Artigo

Periódico

Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Computer Science, v. 2, n. 2, p. 43-55

Ano

2025 (2025-01-01)

Idioma

en

Palavras-chave

teacher questioning; mathematics education; teacher perceptions; student questions; classroom interaction; metacognitive questions; reflective questions; student inquiry; teacher professional development; in-service mathematics teachers; Serbia

Temas

Formação de Professores de Matemática, Práticas Pedagógicas, Tecnologias Digitais

DOI

10.5937/jesmac2502043l

ISSN

3042-2469

Acesso

Download disponível

Fontes

OpenAlex

Na Biblioteca desde

01/10/2026 · verificada em 03/10/2026