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Abstract

Questioning is one of the most commonly used strategies in the instructional process. Well-constructed and appropriate levels of questions stimulate imagination, ignite curiosity, and promote critical thinking. Questioning is an important academic tool in all disciplines but it is more significant for healthcare disciplines for making decisions impacting life and death situations. A grey zone exists on facilitative and hindering factors for asking questions during the instruction deliberations. This study aimed to explore the students’ perspective on the significance of asking questions and the factors affecting their ability to ask questions in a classroom setting. A descriptive qualitative study recruited (12) neophyte undergraduate nursing students from three nursing colleges by using an extreme sampling strategy. Teachers were approached to nominate the students who usually ask questions or do not ask questions. In-depth individualized interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide by the primary researcher. Content analysis was performed after transcription. Ethical approval and written and informed consent was obtained. The participants of this study identified several advantages of questioning in relation to enhancing learning, building confidence, improving language competence, and strengthening interpersonal relationships. They also illustrated the factors affecting their questioning ability: motivation or a lack of motivation, presence or absence of confidence, role modeling, language command, the learning environment, and the culture. They also suggested a few measures such as permission to ask questions in the mother or national language and encouragement and support from family members, teachers, and peers. Students' and teachers’ training in asking and handling questioning is recommended respectively.

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