A taxonomy of history questions classifies questions by the type and structure of the required response, not by surface interrogative form¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The report presents a taxonomy of the questions middle school students are expected to answer when studying history textbooks. Its fundamental principle is that questions should be classified by the information required in the response rather than by surface characteristics, because "the interrogative words Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How are not always reliable indicators of response requirements." Top-level categories are Time, Location, Quantity, Name, Concept Identification, Explanation, Description, and Comparison, several with subcategories. Each category description includes the information the question provides and requires, representative questions, a target question, a text excerpt, and a general answer format with an instantiation.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Classification requires analyzing what information the response must contain, since questions that look different on the surface may demand answers of similar structure

Constraints¶

• The taxonomy was developed for American history questions in intermediate-grade textbooks; the authors argue each discipline has its own unique structure reflected in its questions

Target Learners¶

• middle school (intermediate grade) students studying history

Target Learning Objectives¶

• understanding and answering textbook questions in history

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Goal-Action-Outcome frame: explanations of many historical events have a generic structure of goal, action, and outcome
• Van Fraassen pragmatic theory of explanation as a theory of why-questions

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