Undergraduate Students Develop Questioning, Creativity, and Collaboration Skills by Using the Question Formulation Technique

Oct 15, 2026

Asking questions is a difficult yet essential step in fostering student inquiry. This study examines how undergraduate students collaboratively develop questions using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) in an upper-division biology course. It documents themes in students’ question generation and analyzes group reflections on their experiences. Results show increased question production across course themes by term end and highlight student enjoyment of the structured, collaborative process. The findings suggest QFT supports productive inquiry, enabling students to explore biology concepts creatively and collaboratively.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose and context

QFT approach in an undergraduate biology course

Evidence gathered: question generation and group reflections

Key findings and implications

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 15 | Issue 2 | Article 7 | | --- | --- | | Summer 08-31-2024
Undergraduate Students Develop Questioning, Creativity, and Collaboration Skills by Using the Question Formulation Technique
Mindi Summers
University of Calgary, mindi.summers@ucalgary.ca Jordann Fernandez
[jordannf@me.com](jordannf@me.com)
Cody-Jordan Handy-Hart
McGill University, [cody-jordan.handy-hart@mail.mcgill.ca](cody-jordan.handy-hart@mail.mcgill.ca)[ ](cody-jordan.handy-hart@mail.mcgill.ca)Sarah Kulle
[skulle13@gmail.com](skulle13@gmail.com)
Kyla Flanagan
University of Calgary, kmflanag@ucalgary.ca
Follow this and additional works at: [https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca](https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca)
[https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.2.15519](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.2.15519) | | Recommended Citation Summers, M., Fernandez, J., Handy-Hart, C.-J., Kulle, S., & Flanagan, K. (2024) . Undergraduate students develop questioning, creativity, and collaboration skills by using the Question Formulation Technique. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(2). [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.2.15519](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.2.15519) Undergraduate Students Develop Questioning, Creativity, and Collaboration Skills by Using the Question Formulation Technique Abstract Asking questions can be one of the most difficult, yet important, steps in driving student inquiry. As post-secondary instructors work to integrate inquiry into classrooms, very few concrete strategies exist for developing and promoting student questioning. The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a structured process used widely in K-12 settings that guides students through generating, evaluating, and reflecting on questions. In these contexts, the QFT has been shown to develop important skills, including building creative capacity (divergent and convergent thinking), metacognition, and collaborative teamwork. While we have used QFT in many contexts with undergraduate students, thereis very limited evidence of effectiveness and impact beyond K-12. In this study, we explored how students collaboratively developed questions using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) in an undergraduate upper-division biology class. We documented and explored themes in question generation and collected student group reflections on their experiences. We show that undergraduate students are productive in generating questions using QFT, and asking questions broadly across the course themes, with the number of questions increasing by the end of the term. Students enjoyed the QFT process, were excited by the questions generated, and found the collaborative brainstorming effective. We also reflect on our experiences and provide ideas for other ways QFT can be incorporated into courses to support undergraduate inquiry and research. We found that QFT helps biology undergraduate students ask their own questions and use inquiry to explore concepts creatively and collaboratively. Savoir poser des questions peut s’avérer être l'une des étapes les plus difficiles, mais aussi l'une des plus importantes, de la quête d’information des étudiants et des étudiantes. Alors que les enseignants et lesenseignantes de l'enseignement supérieur s'efforcent d'intégrer la recherche dans les salles de classe, ilexiste très peu de stratégies concrètes pour développer et promouvoir le questionnement chez les étudiants et les étudiantes. La technique de formulation de questions (TFQ) est un processus structuré largement utilisé dans les établissements d'enseignement primaire et secondaire, qui guide les élèves dans la formulation, l'évaluation et la réflexion sur les questions. Dans ces contextes, il a été démontré que la TFQ permettait de développer des compétences importantes, notamment de renforcer la capacité créative (pensée divergente et convergente

FAQs

What is the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) used for in this study?

QFT is used as a structured process to guide students through generating, evaluating, and reflecting on questions during inquiry-based learning.

How did the researchers study students’ questioning with QFT?

They observed how students collaboratively developed questions, documented themes in question generation, and collected students’ group reflections about their experiences.

What impact did QFT have on undergraduate students in biology?

Undergraduate students were productive in generating questions across course themes, the number of questions increased by the end of the term, and students reported the collaborative process as effective and engaging.

Oct 15, 2026

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