A Phenomenological Analysis of Teacher Experiences During Professional Learning on the Implementation of the Question Formulation Technique

Aug 23, 2026

This study uses an interpretative phenomenological analysis of teachers’ reflections to examine how personal and professional beliefs shape school-based professional learning during implementation of the Question Formulation Technique (QFT). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two primary-school teachers of Mathematics and Geography. Two meta-themes emerged: a focus on classroom atmosphere and the quality of motivation and engagement during QFT implementation. Teachers’ beliefs and values guided the motivation, behavior, and the extent of QFT functions, especially valuing students’ questions across behavioral, cognitive, and socio-emotional domains.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Questioning Practice in Teaching

Teachers’ Professional Learning on Questioning in Teaching

Journal of the Institute for Educational Research Volume 55 • Number 1 • June 2023 • 5–32 UDC 37.091. 12:005 .963(497 . 11)"2013/2019" ISSN 0579-6431 ISSN 1820-9270 (Online) [https://doi.org/10.2298/ZIPI2301005S](https://doi.org/10.2298/ZIPI2301005S)[ ](https://doi.org/10.2298/ZIPI2301005S)Original research paper A PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF TEACHER EXPERIENCES DURING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE QUESTION FORMULATION TECHNIQUE* Nada Ševa** and Ivana Đerić Institute for Educational Research, Belgrade, Serbia Only my ability to ask questions limits my knowledge. Miroslav Antić, Serbian poet ABSTRACT In this study, through an in-depth analysis of teachers’ reflections, we examined how personal and professional beliefs influenced school-based professional learning during teachers’experimentation with the Question Formulation Technique – QFT1. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two primary school teachers taught Mathematics and Geography. Two meta-themes emerged from the interpretative phenomenological analysis: Traditional Teachers That Focus on the Atmosphere and Quality of Motivation and Engagement During Question Formulation Technique Implementation. Teachers’ condensed experiences were shaped by their personal and professional beliefs and values. This determined the quality and type of motivation and behaviour during school-based professional learning. Teachers emphasized that students were more behaviourally, cognitively, and socio-emotionally engaged. The functions of the QFT in Mathematics and Geography classes were considerably fulfilled, mostly in creating a classroom atmosphere where asking questions was valued. Key words: the theory of self-determination, motivation, autonomy, question quality, focus creation. * Note. This research was funded by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (Contract No. 451-03-47/2023-01/ 200018). ** [E-mail:](E-mail: nadaseva@gmail.com)[ nadaseva@gmail.com](E-mail: nadaseva@gmail.com) 1 Creative Commons license: Source: The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) was created by the Right Question Institute ([rightquestion.org](rightquestion.org)) 6 | NADA ŠEVA AND IVANA ĐERIĆ INTRODUCTION The importance of school-based professional learning has been well-established in educational literature for more than two decades (Kwakman, 2003) . It aims at modifying teachers’ practice by helping teachers discover, explore, and reflexively learn through their own experience (Koellner et al., 2023; Džinović, 2016) . In this type of learning, a supportive professional environment is essential (Ryan & Deci, 2017) . In the context of school-based Professional learning, teachers also consider the introduction of innovative methods and techniques as well as the modification of established assessment practices. However, there is a need for more qualitative studies focused on in-depth explorations of teachers’ experimentation with different instructional practices within experiential, reflexive, and cooperative professional learning activities at school. The significance of this type of qualitative research lies in offering an insight into the context and quality of school-based professional learning and providing a counterbalance to an increasing number of studies exclusively focusing on the datafication (quantification) of the learning process (Guihen, 2020; Stevenson, 2017) . In this study, we conducted an in-depth analysis of teachers’ reflections to determine how personal and professional beliefs and values shaped school-based professional learning. The Question Formulation Technique – QFT (Rothstein & Santana, 2011)2, presented in this paper, was applied in the classroom by Mathematics and Geography teachers. Questioning Practice in Teaching Questioning is one of the basic techniques teachers use in class to improve learning, encourage student participation, and support criti

FAQs

What method does the study use to analyze teacher experiences?

The study applies interpretative phenomenological analysis to teachers’ reflections, based on in-depth examination of their lived experiences during QFT implementation.

Who participated in the study?

Two primary school teachers participated through semi-structured interviews; one taught Mathematics and the other taught Geography.

What themes emerged from the analysis of QFT implementation experiences?

Two meta-themes emerged: traditional teacher focus on classroom atmosphere and the quality of motivation and engagement during Question Formulation Technique implementation.

Aug 23, 2026

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