Studies of the pauses between teachers' questions and students' responses have indicated that lengthening wait-time produces significant improvement in intellectual performance. Two types of pauses have been identified: the pause after teachers pose questions and students respond, and the pause that takes place when students hesitate momentarily…

Investigated effects of increasing middle school teachers' (N=40) wait time on general questioning skills in science teaching. Four groups (10 teachers each) were used: control; group receiving printed guides on discussion/techniques; group using an electronic feedback device; group using both guides and feedback device. Results, conclusions, and…

Research studies in science education have revealed that wait-time, the duration of teacher and student pauses in questioning dialogue, is an important variable in teaching. In this study, discussion materials were gathered, from 4 groups of 10 teachers, each week for a semester. The groups were defined as: (1) comparison group; (2) instruction in…

Wait time, or the pauses between questions and responses, has been demonstrated to be an important factor influencing classroom learning. This paper reviews the key variables that have emerged in wait time research over the past 20 years. Progress in defining and measuring wait time has resulted in improved methodology for wait time research.…