New Perspectives in Science Education

The study explores chemistry teachers' ways of dealing with students' responses to teachers' oral questions, responses that teachers regard as either undesired, unexpected or incorrect responses to teacher posed questions. Actual teaching situations of three chemistry teachers from Tanzania were observed, recorded, transcribed and analyzed interpretively. Semi-structured interviews wth these three teachers were also conducted to bring forth the teachers inherent perceptions about their practice in relation to what was observed of the teachers in the actual practice. Up to eight different forms of teachers' responses/actions or reactions to students' undesired responses or incorrect answers are discussed with respect to how each is percieved to either positively or negatively affect students' progressive learning. The study reveals that an interactive-authoritative approach to science teaching continues to dominate science discourses, where students' scientific views are hardly taken into account, as the teachers majorly  persue pre-determined scientific views. The study also reveals that teachers continue to use their classroom power strategies in ways that do not enhance students' productive engagement with scientific matter.

Keywords: Chemistry teacher oral questions, Students’ undesired responses, Effective feedback practices;