Questioning and curiosity in an STS context: a case study

Abstract

This study is based on the widespread recognition of the importance of students’ curiosity as a basis of knowledge construction. It is in this context that questioning appears to facilitate the expression of students’ curiosity. When students are curious they usually ask questions. However, it is essential to create encouraging environments where their curiosity can be improved. Thus, an approach focusing on an STS perspective emerges as a privileged way of expressing curiosity. Taking into account these assumptions, the topic ‘Ammonia’, included in the syllabus of Physics and Chemistry A, was thus used by this study, which was conducted in a Chemistry 11th grade course (from the Science and Technology path, in Secondary Education). The main purpose of this study was to analyze the potential relationship between curiosity and students’ questioning. This study followed a qualitative approach within a naturalistic context, focusing an ethnographic case study. Data was collected through: observation (naturalistic and participant); questionnaire surveys; semi-structured interviews; and, written questions from students at different moments in time, using a diversity of strategies, such as, for instance, the DigQuest® card game. The computer program WebQDA® was employed to conduct the content analysis. Results convey a dependent relation between the different dimensions of curiosity expressed through students’ questions and the cognitive level of the questions, according to the SOLO taxonomy. Furthermore, they also show the importance of moderate questioning and the use of an STS approach as a strategy to promote curiosity.