‘What would you do if…?’

On asking Experience Questions within classroom discussions, with a view to making room for subjectification

Authors

  • Johanna van Balen University of Groningen; NHL Stenden, University of Applied Sciences
  • Myrte N. Gosen University of Groningen
  • Siebrich de Vries NHL Stenden, University of Applied Sciences; University of Groningen
  • Tom Koole University of Groningen; University of the Witwatersrand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/rcsi.29448

Keywords:

classroom interaction, conversation analysis, experience questions, subjectification, mother tongue education

Abstract

In this study, we observed classroom discussions in which teachers aimed to work on subjectification. Teachers were found to ask ‘Experience Questions’, which we define as questions that prompt the recipient to disclose how he/she would act or feel in a given situation. By applying Conversation Analysis, we show that post-expansion is provoked by either 1) inviting other students to respond to the initial response; 2) inviting the same student to elaborate on his/her response. When teachers invite other students, discussions are elicited that mostly involve cumulative lists of different responses to the initial Experience Question. When teachers invite the same student, discussions follow in which students take learner-initiatives to address the given response.

Author Biographies

  • Johanna van Balen, University of Groningen; NHL Stenden, University of Applied Sciences

    Johanna van Balen is a teacher educator at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden and a PhD-student at the University of Groningen, Center for Language and Cognition. She uses conversation analysis to study classroom interaction in light of making room for subjectification.

  • Myrte N. Gosen, University of Groningen

    Myrte Gosen is an assistant professor in Communication and Information Studies at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She has a particular interest in classroom interactions in relation to knowledge and she uses conversation analysis to identify the fundamental structures and practices in interaction that are related to knowledge construction.

  • Siebrich de Vries, NHL Stenden, University of Applied Sciences; University of Groningen

    Siebrich de Vries is a professor of Applied Sciences in Subject Matter Pedagogics at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden, and an assistant professor at the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen. Her research focuses among other things on conducting conversations in the context of Lesson Study in teacher education and secondary education.

  • Tom Koole, University of Groningen; University of the Witwatersrand

    Tom Koole is professor emeritus of Language and Social Interaction at the University of Groningen. Next to applied work on classroom interaction and health communication, he also uses conversation analysis to study the accomplishment of intersubjectivity (mutual understanding). His work has been previously published in international journals such as Research on Language and Social Interaction, Journal of Pragmatics, Linguistics and Education and Classroom Discourse.

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Published

2024-10-31

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Vol. 8 No. 1 (2024)

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How to Cite

van Balen, J., Gosen, M. N., de Vries, S., & Koole, T. (2024). ‘What would you do if…?’: On asking Experience Questions within classroom discussions, with a view to making room for subjectification. Research on Children and Social Interaction, 8(1), 116-138. https://doi.org/10.1558/rcsi.29448