Display and referential questions

A display question (also called known-information question) is a type of question requiring the other party to demonstrate their knowledge on a subject matter when the questioner already knows the answer.[1] They are contrasted with referential questions (or information-seeking questions), a type of question posed when the answer is not known by the questioner at the time of inquiry.[2][3]

Both question types are used widely in language education in order to elicit language practice but the use of referential questions is generally preferred to the use of display questions in communicative language teaching.[3][4] Display questions bear similarities to closed questions in terms of their requirement for short and limited answers and they can be classified under convergent questions. On the other hand, referential questions and open questions are similar in their requirement for long, often varied, answers, and can be grouped under divergent questions.[5]

Both display and referential questions are subcategories of epistemic questions.

  1. ^ Vivekmetakorn, Chirasiri K; Thamma, Meentra (2015). "'Teacher Questioning from a Discourse Perspective". Language Education and Acquisition Research Network (LEARN) Journal. 8 (1): 63–87.
  2. ^ Mehan, Hugh (1979). "'What time is it, Denise?": Asking known information questions in classroom discourse". Theory into Practice. 18 (4): 285–294. doi:10.1080/00405847909542846. ISSN 0040-5841.
  3. ^ a b Richards, Jack C.; Schmidt, Richard, eds. (2009). Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. New York: Longman. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-4082-0460-3.
  4. ^ Wright, Brenda M. (2016-12-31). "Display and referential questions: Effects on student responses". Nordic Journal of English Studies. 15 (4): 160–189–189. doi:10.35360/njes.388. ISSN 1654-6970.
  5. ^ Erlinda, Rita; Dewi, Sari Rahma (2014). "Teacher's Questions in Efl Classroom". Ta'dib. 17 (2): 177–188. doi:10.31958/jt.v17i2.271.

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