Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of questions EFL teachers ask in the
classroom and the strategies they use. To achieve this purpose, Debark Millennium 2000
General Secondary School was selected. Six teachers on voluntary base were directly observed
while teaching grade 10 students. The observed lessons were used as a major source of data for
the study. Questionnaires for both grade 10 students and teachers were also administered and
used as a supplementary source of data. Based on the obtained data, teachers applied only low
level type of questions and they did not use various strategies in the observed lessons. The
questions were not found to play the role of initiating IRF (Initiate-Response and Feedback)
patterns of classroom interaction and not going beyond that up to meaning negotiations that
helps to have real language use in EFL classroom. The reasons behind the limited role of EFL
teachers’ classroom questions on initiating IRF patterned classroom communication and lack of
different types of questions with limited questioning strategies, according to this study, are found
to be high number lower level questions as mentioned above, poor questioning strategies,
repetition of words while asking questions, poor nomination focus. Based on the findings of the
study recommendations are also given.
