Specific Goal Questioning¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Specific Goal Questioning means designing questions around a single, explicit analytical goal — for example, "find the grabber and explain why it works" or "map how this essay moves from claim to evidence" — rather than asking general comprehension questions. Each question directs learner attention to one identifiable feature of a mentor text and requires learners to articulate why that feature produces its effect, connecting technique to function.

Design Implications¶

Directed questions function as an attention-focusing mechanism: they tell learners what to look for before they read, which reduces unproductive search and helps novices notice features they would otherwise overlook (King, 1994). The specificity matters — questions aimed at deep, goal-relevant features produce better comprehension than surface-level or unfocused questions (Rosenshine et al., 1996). The "why?" follow-up is the critical move: it forces learners to construct an explanation linking the technique to its rhetorical or structural effect, rather than merely locating it.

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Appropriate mentor text containing clear instances of the target technique
• Questions prepared in advance, each tied to one explicit goal
• Time for individual analysis followed by discussion (Practice, Peer Discussion)
• A way for learners to record and annotate their findings (Annotating)

Constraints¶

• Overly directive questioning narrows attention; learners may miss other important features of the text and fail to develop independent analytical habits [~M]
• If the goal is not genuinely specific ("what do you notice?"), the attention-focusing benefit disappears
• Requires careful planning — poorly targeted questions waste time and can anchor learners to surface features rather than function
• Less effective for learners with strong prior knowledge, who gain more from self-generated questions (Rosenshine et al., 1996) [~M]

Implementation Variability¶

• Teacher-generated → student-generated progression: begin with teacher-posed goal questions, then have students write their own questions targeting a chosen technique — self-questioning training produces durable comprehension gains (Rosenshine et al., 1996) [+S]
• Written vs. oral response: individual written responses before discussion ensure every learner commits to an answer (Individual Response)
• Jigsaw variation: different groups pursue different goals (grabber, structure, transitions) and teach findings to peers
• Recurring goal frames: reusable question stems ("Where does the writer…? Why does that work here?") reduce planning load across texts

Target Learners¶

• Novice writers and readers who do not yet spontaneously notice craft features; directed questions compensate for missing schemas (King, 1994) [+M]
• Developing writers studying mentor texts for a specific technique they will imitate
• Less beneficial for advanced learners, who benefit more from generating their own questions (Rosenshine et al., 1996) [~M]

Target Learning Goals¶

• Craft analysis: identifying and explaining specific writing techniques
• Structural understanding: recognizing how essays and narratives are organized
• Transfer to writing: connecting analyzed techniques to the learner's own drafting
• Self-questioning skill, when students progress to writing their own goal questions (Rosenshine et al., 1996) [+S]

Instructions¶

1. Choose one specific goal per text or lesson (e.g., "identify the grabber") and state it before reading (Advance Organizers)
2. Pose the goal question and have learners locate the feature, marking the text (Annotating)
3. Ask the "why?" follow-up: learners explain in writing why the technique works in context (Individual Response)
4. Have learners compare explanations with peers, resolving disagreements with textual evidence (Peer Discussion)
5. Consolidate findings whole-class, naming the technique and its function (Whole-Class Sharing)
6. Move learners toward generating their own goal questions for the next text (Conceptual Questioning)

Related Strategies¶

• Activating Prior Knowledge — a goal question posed before reading serves the same preparatory function, priming relevant schemas
• Annotating Text — the natural recording mechanism for goal-directed reading

Examples¶

• A middle-school teacher studying mentor personal narratives asks only: "Find the first sentence that makes you want to keep reading. Why does it work?" Students mark the grabber, write a one-sentence explanation, then compare choices in pairs before drafting grabbers for their own narratives.
• In an AP English class, groups receive different goal questions for the same op-ed — one maps the claim–evidence structure, another traces concession-and-rebuttal moves — then jigsaw their findings.
• The Writing Revolution lessons embed targeted questions about sentence function and essay structure in mentor-text analysis before students produce their own writing.

Key Sources¶

• King, A. (1994). Guiding knowledge construction in the classroom: Effects of teaching children how to question and how to explain. American Educational Research Journal, 31(2), 338–368. doi:10.3102/00028312031002338
• Rosenshine, B., Meister, C., & Chapman, S. (1996). Teaching students to generate questions: A review of the intervention studies. Review of Educational Research, 66(2), 181–221. doi:10.3102/00346543066002181
• Graesser, A. C., & Person, N. K. (1994). Question asking during tutoring. American Educational Research Journal, 31(1), 104–137. doi:10.3102/00028312031001104
• Craig, S. D., Sullins, J., Witherspoon, A., & Gholson, B. (2006). The deep-level-reasoning-question effect: Role of dialogue and focus. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(2), 442–455. doi:10.1207/s1532690xci2404_4