Abstract

This study aims to explore the type of questions teachers ask as they engage with their learners in conversations about mathematics in Grade 9 classrooms. A qualitative approach with a case study design was used for the study. Data was collected from three schools in the same circuit in South Africa. Three Grade 9 mathematics teachers, one from each school, were purposively selected, and their already existing classes were automatically involved. The study was guided by Cognitive Guided Instruction (CGI), a learner-centered approach that uses social constructivism as a research paradigm. The exploration was supplemented by the conceptual framework based on nine types of mathematical questions. Classroom lesson observations, teacher interviews, and field notes were used to collect data coded according to the question-types framework. This article is framed through one research question: what type of questions do teachers ask as they engage with their learners in conversations about mathematics? The findings revealed that the most frequently asked question type was in the information-gathering category based on low-level questions that required learners to recall facts. However, teacher interviews revealed that each question type, whether at a low or high level, had a unique way of contributing to learner construction of mathematical knowledge.