The effect of higher-order questioning on pupil understanding, as assessed using mind maps and the SOLO taxonomy

Abstract

This paper looks at the role of higher-order questioning in developing pupil understanding from the Scottish education perspective. Literature indicates that higher-order questions deepen pupil understanding through the development of critical thinking skills, so should be prevalent in every classroom. Additionally, the SOLO framework and mind maps have been shown to be novel, yet effective, tools for assessing pupil understanding. As such, I included a range of higher-order questions in my practice and asked the pupils to create mind maps to demonstrate their understanding of a given topic. Using the SOLO framework as a marking rubric, I scored the mind maps to determine the effect of questioning on understanding. Higher-order questions had a positive effect on pupil understanding as the mind map scores increased post-implementation. This enquiry would benefit from repetition over a longer time period to further determine the effect of questioning on pupil understanding.