Explanation questions divide into cause-seeking, effect-seeking, and causal-elaboration types with distinct answer structures¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

Explanation questions are analyzed with a simple cause-effect model and split into three major types: questions that give an effect and ask about the cause (Why-Action, Why-Conflict, Why-Reaction, and Why-Effect), questions that give a cause and ask about the effects (What-Effects and Why-Importance-of-Cause), and questions asking for elaboration of the causal connection between a specified cause and effect (How did A affect B). The report states that "By far the most common type of Explanation question in social studies textbooks asks why or how a given event or outcome took place." Each subtype carries its own general answer structure, such as Action because Goal for Why-Action questions.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Each subtype requires a distinct general answer structure that students must construct from information located in the text

Constraints¶

• Why-Importance-of-Cause questions exclude cases where a recipient of the effect is specified; those belong to the How did A affect B category

Target Learners¶

• middle school students studying history from textbooks

Target Goals¶

• recognizing question demands and constructing structurally appropriate causal explanations

Claims¶

• Answering history explanation questions often requires causal inferences because causal relationships are frequently left implicit in textbooks [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Van Fraassen pragmatic theory of explanation as a theory of why-questions

Related Patterns¶

• Description questions are answered by addressing a topic-dependent subset of Wh- and How subquestions

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Armbruster, Bonnie B.; Anderson, Thomas H.; Bruning, Roger R.; Meyer, Linda A. (1984). What Did You Mean by That Question? A Taxonomy of American History Questions. Technical Report No. 308. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED240511