The Epistemic Role of Children’s Questions and Teacher’s Responses in Preschool Classroom Discourse

Abstract

This study investigates the structure of discourse children initiate by asking inquisitive questions. In total, 301 question sequences were analyzed, taking into account the discourse analysis procedure. Generally, the analysis concluded that although children were demonstrating their epistemic stance, they used different question structures than the adults. However, the teachers realized the pragmatic aspects of these questions and were able to support their epistemic domains. Finally, the study also identified how sequence closures differed from traditional classroom discourse.