What is the impact of questioning on deepening understanding in Literacy?

The purpose of this study was to examine deepening understanding in writing for the lower phase of primary education. Using a focus group model, the study monitored the impact of a set of questions on writing. For three academic half terms, children working at the expected level for their year groups were exposed to a series of questions designed to promote greater depth writing skills. With no control group, conclusions must be considered carefully, however, there was a clear increase in the scores achieved by children throughout the study. Pupil voice indicates a good depth of children’s understanding and teacher feedback from the study was positive. Any further research would need to consider further controlling the range of skills
assessed by teachers.