Month: October 2017

Skilled Interpersonal Communication Research, Theory and Practice- Hargie, Owen.  Finding out about others: the skill of questioning.

A main aim of the chapter was to explore in-depth the qualities, purposes and potentials of questioning, but also explains that with the correct techniques, questioning can be of great assistance within the ability to learn, grow and build upon knowledge. This therefore enables both the teacher and learner to immerse themselves fully within the subject matter; perhaps in the form of challenging difference approaches or requesting information.

A key theme within the chapter is the psychology of asking and answering questions. An example of this is found on page 138 when explaining the ‘acquiescence effect’ which is supported by evidence; ‘the Moses illusion’ (Erikson and Mattison 1981). The chapter is laced with the theme of the psychology behind asking and answering questions without explicitly stating it. Another example is found on page 140 with the ‘effects of leading questions on children’ -supported by the child abuse scandals during the 1990’s- in which questions were asked in such a way where the children’s answers could be easily manipulated and perceived to an extent where it disproved the abuse accusations.

Another theme within the text is how questioning is imperative for an enriched and fulfilled learning experience. The chapter is constantly reinforcing the idea that there is a link between questions and learning within the classroom; for example, in the text, Dillon (1982)’s research shows that teachers ask approximately two questions a minute, whereas students may only ask two questions an hour. The chapter then goes on to explain what may be hampering the students desire to ask questions.

The chapter claims that there is a reason behind student’s inability to ask questions within the classroom and that reason is the anxiety of a negative reaction from the other students. This is then supported from evidence by a number of different studies such as Daly et al (1994) discovering a negative correlation between question asking and ages in pupils and another study also conducted by Daly that found certain groups of individuals that were more likely to ask questions than others; these groups included people within high-income bracket and males.

Hargie also argues the importance of parental involvement within a child’s ability to ask questions- he argues that parents should take the time out to answer any questions their child may have as the response is viewed as a reward by the child.

I agree with the majority of arguments, theories and claims within chapter 5. Something that came to my attention was the section on ‘the effects of leading questions upon children’ as I am a strong believer that people, especially children should be made more aware and educated on leading questions and how to spot a leading question. However, what I did disagree within this section is that I believe although children are more susceptible to ‘falling into the trap’ of a leading question, I believe adults are too, especially those that are considered less educated. Leading questions may be dangerous; shaping the media and journalism but may also be present within courtrooms- potentially ruining lives through the subtle manipulation of responses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning.’ Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. Chapter 5.

The main aim of Chapter 5 is to understand and analyse the importance of questions, in which Hargie further explains by discussing the different types of questions and how these questions could be asked depending on context, as well as the response required.

There are many different themes explored throughout this chapter. Hargie starts by highlighting the importance for parents to be involved in listening and answering their child’s questions, as these questions in fact enhance the child’s learning process. It is very important for the child’s development that parents take time to answer these questions. (Cook,2009) In terms of questions in a classroom environment, Hargie states that children tend to ask significantly more questions at home rather than in school. The reason for this is that the students ‘reluctance to ask questions in class is fear of a negative reaction from classmates.’ (Dillon,1988) I agree with this statement as from my personal experience I would tend not to ask questions in the classroom due to fear.

Furthermore, Hargie explores the different types of questioning in context, for example, questions asked when at the doctors. Brashers et al. (2002: 259) found that ‘Physicians ask most of the questions and patients provide most of the information.’ However, in many situations like this example, some patients are wary of asking the doctor questions due to feeling uncomfortable or fear of appearing ignorant (Roter and Hall, 2006). I disagree slightly with the last statement as from previous experience the doctor has always been willing to answer any question I may ask, but I understand why some patients may feel uncomfortable in doing so.

To conclude, I found reading this chapter beneficial as it has helped to develop my understanding of the importance of questions. In terms of teaching, it has helped me to ensure that when a child asks a question it is important to respond to the question fully so that the child can understand and not struggle.

Reference List

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’ Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

The main aim of this chapter is to analyse uses and purposes of various types and structures of questions being used in social circumstances.  Some things that are discussed include, what questions are, describing questions used in context and, power of questions and responses.

One claim of this chapter is that children ask a lot of questions because they are learning and trying to make sense of things.  “This stage, questions play a crucial role in their learning and maturing process.”

One argument presented in this chapter is that questions are one of the most important things concerning communication.  “Questions are the heart of social interaction.”  They give us power and potential.

I agree with most of the ideas and arguments presented presented in this chapter i.e. questions being the centre of communication.  However I disagree with the study about children being at ease with answering/asking questions being “males, whites, higher-income…”  This may be the case in some classes but not all and shouldn’t be used as a factor.

There were a few words I didn’t know the meaning of so I looked up the definitions, i.e. “cognitive” being the mental processes of perception, memory, judgement and reasoning.

Some concepts in this chapter include responses, probes and pausing.  Pausing is a silent probe that can encourage thought, questioning or even getting the pupils to fully concentrate.

overall i think this chapter was very insightful into the way we use questions and the reasoning behind it.

References

Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice, 5th ed. London: Routledge.

Throughout this chapter I think the main aim was to educate how important questions are in different situations and how the type of question can shape the answer that is returned. Questions are an integral part of communication and the many forms questions can take is what Hargie emphasised on in this chapter.

Hargie mentioned quite a few themes among which were what questions are like for children in education and even in adulthood. Children, although known to constantly ask never-ending questions, when put in a classroom tend to ask and respond much less than the teachers. It was stated that teachers ask about two questions a minute whereas their pupils ask only two questions an hour (Dillon, 1982). It was noted that children as they grow older are less comfortable asking questions and one big reason given was “fear of negative reaction from class mates” (Dillon, 1988). This is a natural response to growing up but maybe the constant questioning by teachers does not always help.

Adults too feel this sense of uncomfortableness especially when asking questions to doctors which then results in them not asking enough “in fear of being ignorant” (Roter an Hall, 2006). The hesitation to ask questions I believe is related to how a person feels they will be judged or thought of. This was found in patients who asked 4.1 questions to pharmacists and only 2.5 to doctors, suggesting pharmacists show a more approachable and comfortable environment for them to be part of.

When reading this Chapter there were a lot of points I agreed with however I disagreed with the idea that open questions are better suited to those who had spent at least a year in college than those who had left after secondary school (Schatzman and Struss, 1956). I believe the answer to a question depends on the interviewees personality, comfort and the situation the question is being asked, none of which was mentioned in this article.

I did, however, find out in this chapter how much of an effect misleading questions have on children.  I agree that the best approach is to ask children open and non-misleading questions, allowing them to answer freely with as much information they want without being influenced by the interviewer. Children are easily confused and influenced when being questioned so allowing them as much freedom is very important.

Reference list:

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice.5^th ed. London: Routledge

After reading the Hargie text ‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’  I believe the main aim of this chapter is to emphasise the importance of questions, to force the reader to think more deeply about the questioning process, the differences in various situations, the wording of questions, different types and the impact these have which most people haven’t previously thought so deeply about.

 

One of the main themes in this chapter is the importance of children asking questions and Parents taking time to answer these questions in order for them to make sense of the world around them (Cook, 2009). This is why the next part of the chapter is particularly important for teachers to read and understand as children ask substantially more questions at home than at school (Tizard et al, 1983). When research was carried out into questioning in the classroom one of the main reasons Daly et al found was that children were more willing to ask more questions in the classroom if they felt accepted by their classroom teacher this is backed up by evidence by, those who felt accepted by their teacher asked more questions (Daly et al, 1994). This emphasises the important job you have as a teacher in order to ensure your pupils feel comfortable with you so they feel safe and confident to ask questions (Daly et al 1994) and expand their learning in the classroom.

 

Another key theme which also links to children asking questions in the classroom is the importance of feeling comfortable in our surroundings in order to be confident enough to ask proficient questions.  Katz et al found that patients often don’t ask doctors questions as they didn’t want to appear ignorant and when patients did ask questions there were signs of discomfort in their speech such as speech disturbances (Brashers et all, 2002:259). The doctor here is similar to the teacher in the classroom, the patient must feel confident enough to ask the doctor questions and not question their own intelligence.

 

Another aspect of the chapter is the importance of choosing the correct wording in order to formulate the type of question you want to use and altering the types of question in various different situations. If you want to make someone feel comfortable and encourage them to talk to you closed questions may be more appropriate. However, in certain situations where the questioner may want someone to talk longer and express themselves on a deeper level an open question may be more appropriate (Breakwell et al, 2006). There are several different types of questions and it is also a skill to master when is the best time to use each type of question.

 

This was an extremely interesting article to read especially as I am one day hoping to have my own class and I have taken on board some of the advice given in this chapter including the importance of both asking questions and these questions being answered, to children and some of the reasons children may not be asking questions, in order to minimise this in my own practice.

 

One part of the chapter I would argue is outdated is the use of the line ‘parents taking time to answer these’ this is an important point however we no longer live in a world where only the parents are responsible for raising their child. It is just as crucial for anyone important in the child’s life to answer these questions including aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers and guardians being just a few.

 

 

Reference List

Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5^th ed. London: Routledge.

Throughout ‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’ (Hargie, 2011), it is apparent that the main aim of the text is to inform the reader about the importance of questions. Before reading, questioning seemed like a simple and easily used technique. However, it is evident that it is more complex and intricate than it may seem. Main themes throughout the chapter include what questions themselves are; the comparison of different question types; and the effects of questions on certain groups, such as children and patients.

One example of a claim which was made is the idea that patients are less inclined to ask their doctors questions during consultations. West (1983) found that in 773 questions recorded over 21 consultations, only 9% came from the patients. Research has discovered that this is due to fear of seeming ignorant and unknowledgeable (Roter and Hall, 2006). Morrow et al (1993) showed that patients were a lot more inclined to ask their pharmacist questions – indicating that people feel that pharmacists are more approachable.

One argument presented in the chapter is the idea that answering questions and the skill of questioning is present in every form of social interaction. Especially for children, it is vitally important that questions are taken seriously and heard. Without this key listening, children my feel stupid and irrelevant. This could hinder their future learning and relationships.

One part of the chapter which I disagreed with was the area surrounding process and recall questions. Studies have shown that process questions are asked less regularly than recall questions; this has conjugated some mixed feelings. It is argued that process questions are beneficial for creativity and increased scope – researchers believe that children should be faced with these questions more often. However, I disagree; I believe that both question form is as important as the other. Children should be asked both question types; this would ensure all thought processes to take place efficiently.

Throughout this chapter there were some words which I did not understand. I noted them down and looked at their definitions in a dictionary. I have now defined these key educational terms for future reference.

Reading this chapter has truly opened my eyes; I was unaware of the vast amount of different question types. I will now be more aware of the kinds of questions I am asking, particularly when on placement.