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Action Research:
Positive Rewards for Quality Questions

Students who ask questions in the classroom are more actively engaged seeking clarification and depth of knowledge. This study assessed the effect of positive behavior intervention on the quantity of quality questions that students asked in a typical week. This research used the concept of joining a club and receiving benefits to measure the effect of this treatment on the quantity of quality questions that students ask. The study found that a no to low cost positive reward for asking quality questions had a significant positive effect on the number and quality of student generated questions in the short term.
Keywords:  student-generated questions, questions, middle school, positive behavior rewards
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Design Process
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Support and Next Steps
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See a Prezi explaining this study
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to examine how a positive behavior treatment affects the quantity of quality questions that students ask in a given time period of one week.  Existing research shows that encouraging more questions in the classroom helps students to learn and are at the heart of creativity and learning. Further, the research shows that as students progress through our schools they tend to ask fewer questions unless they feel safe asking those questions. The need for this study rose from the lack of middle school studies into this area.  Further, studies show a significant decline in motivation in the middle school classroom which affect student questions, critical thinking, and learning.
Results, Analysis, and Summary
A mixed data analysis showed that there was an extremely significant increase in the amount of questions and quality questions asked by the treatment group. This implies that a positive behavior reward system does influence students to ask more questions and, significantly, more quality questions.

​The study shows that by offering a simple, low-cost positive reward students will ask more total questions and increase their quality questions. The study implies that students can be inspired to ask more quality questions with the right rewards. Further, the study illustrates that thinking about quality questions helps students to become more involved in the class through critical thinking and focus.
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Click here to access the FULL RESEARCH PAPER
Basic Methodology of the Study
This study examined the numbers of questions and quality questions that students asked over a two week period. During the first week, the researcher tallied the numbers of questions that students asked. This resulted in both the control and treatment groups asking similar numbers of questions. The second week started with a lesson for all groups about quality questions and how to ask them. A treatment group was invited to earn the right to join the Quality Questions Club, along with its privileges or positive rewards, by asking quality questions within the traditional class time period. The researcher then tallied the results for total questions and quality questions.
Literature Review
A review of the literature concerning encouraging students’ questioning in the classroom revealed few recent studies. The newest studies on encouraging student questions in the classroom are from the 1990s and early 2000s. There are many studies on the inquiry and PBL models in the classroom, but these do not focus specifically on encouraging questions when not conducting inquiry and PBL units. The focus of this study is on this latter aspect of student generated questions; how can a teacher encourage student generated questions in a traditional classroom?

Early studies such as Alison King’s study (1994), and Christine Chin’s study (2002) found similar reasons for encouraging questions in the classroom. Specifically, the researchers point out that asking questions is a very important part of active learning, forming great questions is a “creative act,” and asking questions is at the heart of great learning.

This study focused on the effect of positive behavior rewards on the quantity of quality questions that students ask. The positive behavior reward is subtle and socially based. Regarding encouraging more quality questions in the classroom, one study in particular deserves attention...
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Lit Review Table available here.
This is an image of my action research poster. Click on it to see a full size image.