Journal of Educational Sciences > Volume 28, No. 2, 2016

Factors Preventing Students From Pausing Questions And Class Interaction As Perceived By Students At The College Of Education / Aisha Seif Al-Ahmadi

The current study aims to identify the factors affecting asking questions in Saudi universities through a poll survey of a random cluster sample composed of 1022 students from seven faculties of education in Saudi universities. The study used a questionnaire of 34 items that were distributed between two axes: cultural factors axis and academic environment axis. The study findings suggest an average effect of the two axes together on restricting asking questions at Saudi classrooms, as is the case in every individual axis. With regard to the individual effect of every separate item, the study suggests that the three most influential factors affecting asking questions in classrooms in the cultural axis were: student's belief that asking questions may prevent him from taking notes, student's belief that focusing on the correctness or incorrectness of the answer is more important than knowing the reasons why it is right or wrong. The effect of these three factors was high. Meanwhile, the three most influential factors in the academic environment axis were: curriculum size that leaves no space for students to ask questions during the lecture, student's belief that interrupting professors by asking questions may give an impression of a lack of respect and student's fear that side discussions and asking questions may prevent professors from finishing the lecture on time. The effect of these three factors was also high.
Key words: Answer, Critical Thinking, Dialogue, Teaching Or Dictating.