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Yolanda McNeil

Ernest Enchelmayer

ENGL 633

14-JUNE-2020

LANGUAGES – Facet of Grammar

Abstract

Education is paramount it is responsible for the transformations that continue to

take place in the modern world. However, it is important to note that apart from the

education system that instills practical and technical skills in students, there is a system of

education that makes sure that a student has the basic knowledge to learn more about

different fields. The research that was conducted focused on problems & issues with

Yes/No questions. In learning, evading questions is almost impossible and this is given

the fact that questions help to educate the student in different ways. However, there has

been an issue that is associated with yes/no questions. The research that was conducted

consulted ten different peers reviewed materials where each of the materials plays an

imperative role in understanding the issues that surround the use of yes/no questions.

The research revealed that yes/no questions are complex more than they may

look. Research also demonstrated that there are instances and cases where yes/no

questions are applicable. The method of teaching the research topic that was selected was

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learner-centered. Learner-centered methods have proven to be some of the most effective

methods of teaching and applying them would be a strategic move. The findings from the

materials that were collected for the research concluded that the complexity of yes/no

question cannot be ignored. Research has demonstrated that the questions are limiting

thus cannot be employed in some cases that need qualitative data.

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Introduction

Questioning is part and parcel of the life of a human being. Interactions play a

fundamental role in ensuring that members of society reason together. However, there are

methods of interactions that might promote complexity in communication. Considering

the fundamental role that questions play in society, it is important to note that they might

have a negative impact on the process of passing information from one person to another.

The focus of this research will be on problems & issues with Yes/No questions. First,

there is a dire need to understand the nature of Yes/No questions. A Yes/No question is

also known as a closed-end question. The reason behind it is that the question only gives

one a single choice. Explanations and details are not paramount when it comes to Yes/No

questions.

Second, it is imperative to know the limitations of close-ended questions. In some

cases, a person is presented with an issue that yes or no is not the most appropriate

answer. It is at this point where it becomes important for a person to explain the answer.

When there is a need for explanation, yes/no questions do not pass the test of the day.

Students go through the education system not only to gain knowledge about certain

concepts but also to know the limitations of using some vises and concepts. Teaching

students about the issues that surround Yes/No question is paramount because this is a

skill that has no limited application. The skill and knowledge that are passed to the

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student pertaining to the issue of Yes/No questions are applicable in different areas of the

student’s life.

Research on using/teaching

Researchers have paid attention to the issue of yes/no questions and many have

conducted research about it. Most of the researchers seem to agree that the use of yes/no

questions is complex and not as simple as it may seem. On the other hand, there are

researchers who seem to agree that the utilization of yes/no question is paramount in

some fields as well as cases. Ahern, Stolzenberg, McWilliams, and Lyon are some of the

researchers who have focused on the topic of research (Ahern et al. 799). The researchers

agree that at times, there are limitations and boundaries that yes/no question establish.

However, the case can change when the audience changes.

Ahern et al. assert that teaching adults are different than teaching children (Ahern

et al. 784) Adults are in a stage where they must create meaning to everything they do.

Also, anything they embrace must have meaning. Therefore, they are likely to be

interested in more explanations. When such explanations lack, it becomes a challenge for

one to trust the lesson being passed to him or her (Ahern et al. 802). When it gets to the

case of children, their main motivation is to grasp the skill and have the basic knowledge.

Given the case of the child and adult, it becomes evident that the two are in different

stages of learning and at the same time, the two are moved and fascinated by different

things. The application of yes/no questions among children might, therefore, be a good

choice to make (Ahern et al. 801). However, the case changes when it comes to adults

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and this is because adults would prefer an approach that promotes a conversation or

discussion (Ahern et al. 800).

Clark et al. are researchers who looked at the topic of research from the

complexity point of view. The researchers state that yes/no questions are not as easy as

they may look (Clark et al. 20). A yes/no question gives you no choice but to only rely on

one side of the answer. In this case, there are questions to ask (Clark et al. 29). The main

question is; what if the answer is not a definite yes or no? What if the answer is partly a

yes or no? Such questions help one to understand and appreciate the complexity of yes/no

questions.

One of the factors that have played a role in limiting the effectiveness of yes/no

questions is that they are limitative (Clark et al. 19). When a person is asked to answer

with a yes or a no, it means that if the answer is not within the yes or no bracket, his or

her answer is not credible. Yes/no questions limit the freedom of the person who is

answering the questions (Clark et al. 12). Questions are employed when answers are

needed. It is imperative to note that the quality of the answers that a person provides is

dictated by the environment. Therefore, the promotion of freedom when asking questions

becomes pivotal. When participants are limited to answer questions, they might answer

without genuineness for the sake of getting over with it.

Dzendzik, Vogel, and Foster are researchers who have explored the topic of

research from a business perspective. According to the authors, yes/no might be a good

way to answer questions but it is not the best. A good example that has been given has

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touched on an incidence where a customer asks about the specifications of a certain

product. In this case, a yes or a no would be good (Dzendzik et al. 65). However, there is

a need to focus on more than only answering a question. It is important to answer and

explain the answer.

According to the authors, one of the problems with yes/no questions is that they

do not give a person a chance to explain further. In the field of business, yes or no might

not answer the question. It, therefore, means that yes/no questions limit the information

that is shared between the buyer and seller (Dzendzik et al. 26). Open-ended questions

are the most suitable forms of questions in the field of business. Sellers need the chance

to explain their products to give buyers a chance to know and understand the different

varieties of products that are in place. The employment of yes/no questions in the field of

business has therefore proven to be ineffective when it comes to answering some of the

business questions.

Hayes, Stewart, and McElwee focus on the challenges that face children when

they are answering yes or no questions. In this research, the authors have paid attention to

different instances when children are expected to answer using a yes or a no (Hayes et al.

173). the research has revealed that the circumstance under which a child is asked a

question dictates the type of an answer a child will provide. Also, research has helped to

note that there are circumstances that promote the use of yes/no questions and at the same

time, there are circumstances that frustrate yes/no questions (Hayes et al. 173). The use of

yes/no questions in circumstances that are not suitable is likely to affect the comfort of

the children in answering the questions that have been asked.

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Hayes et al. agree that when a child is already familiar with the subject or content,

a yes or no question is applicable (Hayes et al. 173). For example, when a child is told

that an elephant is green and then asked to state whether it is true or false, it helps to jog

the memory of the child (Hayes et al. 173). In this case, the question needs no further

explanation. In the case of the child, it is evident that the child had an idea of what an

elephant looks like. The case would have been different if this would have been the first

time that the child is hearing about an elephant (Hayes et al. 173). A yes or no question

would not be appropriate in this case because if the child does not know what an elephant

is, the child cannot know what color it is. In this case, yes or no questions present an

issue.

Hayes et al. also focus on the need for a child to provide an explanation (Hayes et

al. 173). In some cases, children want to provide more than an answer. They might be

interested in interaction and engagement. Also, they might be interested in explaining

how they arrived at the answer. It is during such instances that it becomes important for

open-ended questions to be employed instead of closed-end questions (Hayes et al. 173).

A yes or no question is likely to frustrate and annoy the child when he or she needs to

know or explain more about a certain issue. The research by Hayes et al. has highlighted

some of the areas that yes or no questions are applicable but it has made a parting shot of

the limitations and issues that revolve around the use of yes/no questions (Hayes et al.

173).

According to Hedberg, Sosa, and Görgülü, the intonation of yes/no questions

differs from other intonations (Hedberg et al. 321). The reason why there is a difference

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is that yes/no questions look for different information and answers when compared to

other types of questions. When it comes to yes/no questions, there is a sense of finality.

The answer that the person answering provides becomes the final answer. The reason

behind it is that this is a style of questioning that only needs one word for an answer.

Therefore, intonation must demonstrate so.

Intonation changes in other forms of questions because the person asking the

questions is interested in more than only a yes or a no (Hayes et al. 2017). The tone of a

person is dictated by the message the person is passing across or the answer that one is

expecting. When one is expecting more than only a yes or a no, it is likely for the person

to demonstrate patience when asking questions (Hayes et al. 2017). The main reason for

demonstrating patience is to ensure that the mood to gather more answers is created

(Hayes et al. 2017). This is contrary to yes or no questions where the person questioning

uses a finality tone.

Research by Mehrani and Peterson has helped to point out and highlight some of

the limitations that are present when using yes or no questions (Mehrani and Peterson,

91). The researchers have focused on preschoolers. Before a child is allowed to start

schooling formally, there are different processes that are involved. Each of the processes

is paramount because it helps to assess if the child is ready to begin the journey of

education. At the same time, it helps to know the skills of a child (Zhao et al. 10).

However, there are biases when it comes to the implementation of yes/no questions.

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One of the major limitations that come along with yes/no questions is the choice

that one is given to make (Mehrani & Peterson, 94). It is essential to know why yes/no

questions are not used in higher education or secondary education. An answer can either

be yes or no. when presented with only two choices, the chances of getting the answer

right are equal to the chances of getting the answer wrong (Mehrani & Peterson, 91). The

form of question fails to look into the merits of a person who is answering the questions.

The issue of merit comes in place because the person who does not know the right answer

has an equal chance to get the answer right when compared to a person who already

knows the right answer (Mehrani & Peterson, 92). For example, a student might be told

that a hippopotamus lives in water.

The student might be asked to answer with a yes or a no. in this case, it is either a

yes or a no. it, therefore, means that even when the student does not know the right

answer, there are chances that he or she can get it right (Mehrani & Peterson, 95). With

this in mind, it becomes evident that there are high chances of getting the right answer

even if one does not know it (Mehrani & Peterson, 97). It, therefore, means that people

who are not the same when it comes to their academic capabilities might find themselves

on the same side of the yes/no questions was the methods used to recruit or assess the

students.

According to Okanda, Zhou, Kanda, Ishiguro, & Itakura (2018), yes/no questions

are as important as their results but that does not mean that they are the only means,

methods, or ways that should be utilized when answering questions in different areas and

fields. The researchers have paid much attention to children. According to the

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researchers, there is a reason why most researchers in the field of education have focused

on children when it comes to the use of yes/no questions. The main reason is associated

with the fact that such questions are widely used for children.

Okanda et al. have helped to understand the limitation of yes/no questions

(Okanda et al. 2079). Even though yes/no questions are widely used especially when it

comes to children, it is essential to note that there are factors of consideration (Okanda et

al. 2079). The prior knowledge of a student is the basis for presenting yes/no questions. A

child or student can only answer yes or no to what he or she knows (Okanda et al. 2079).

Therefore, there is a need to introduce the subject or concept before employing the yes/no

questions. It, therefore, means that there are factors that might affect the applicability or

effectiveness of yes/no questions. A method that is only used in a certain scenario is

limitative and that means that it cannot be widely embraced by any party that desires to

(Okanda et al. 2079). The reason behind it is that the method might prove to be

ineffective or irrelevant.

Methods of teaching/using

The methods of teaching the topic are learner-centered methods. In the modern

world of education, learner-centered methods are widely practiced and embraced. The

changes that are taking place in the world are affecting all institutions and education is

one of the areas that have been affected (Zhang Waring et al. 311). The brain of a human

being continues to evolve and that has affected many areas of the life of a human being.

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As opposed to traditional methods of teaching where the teacher was the master, in

learned centered methods, the teacher is a learner as well (Zhang Waring et al. 309).

Even though democracy might look more like a political term, it is an aspect that

is not only implemented in politics but it is also implemented in education (Stolzenberg et

al. 167). Psychologists have outlined the advantages that come along with using

interactive methods of teaching. The reason why learned centered methods of teaching

have been the most preferred for this project is associated with the fact that the main aim

is to enlighten the student and make sure that the student has grasped as much knowledge

as possible (Stolzenberg et al. 173). It is also important to know and understand the

impacts that the learning environment has on the students as well as the process of the

educator.

Different strategies are associated with learner-centered methods and they are

some of the factors that have promoted the wide adoption of the methods. The first

advantage is associated with the learning environment (Stolzenberg et al. 169). Educators

understand that the learning environment is as important as the skills that are passed to

students. When the learning environment fails to promote peace, there might be a

problem. The education process is one of the processes that are dictated by both the body

and the mind of a human being (Zhang Waring et al. 318). When the body is not in its

best state, the process of grasping new knowledge and information is hindered. The same

case applies to the mind of a human being. The brain of a human being must be alert if a

student is to grasp the knowledge and skills that have been passed to him or her (Zhang

Waring et al. 318). When the environment of learning is not favorable, the student is

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exposed to stress. Stress affects the concentration of the student and therefore, there is a

need to promote an environment that fosters the learning process of the student (Zhang

Waring et al. 312).

Learned centered methods have proven to be effective when it comes to relieving

stress and creating a learning environment that makes it easier for students to grasp as

much knowledge as they can. The student becomes the center of attention in learner-

centered methods. When the focus is on the student, it becomes easier for the educator to

note the problem that the student might be going through (Zhang Waring et al. 318). A

teacher has an obligation to ensure that his or her students are faring well. Therefore, it is

easy for the educator to identify an issue that is affecting the peace of the student and

address it.

Learned centered methods promote equality. In education, a teacher is taught how

to connect with the students. One of the strategies that are taught is lowering oneself to

the level of the student. A student in most cases feels like an inferior person in the

classroom (Zhang Waring et al. 308). The reason behind it is that the past methods of

teaching have created an impression that the teacher is the dominant person in the

classroom. Learner-centered methods come to change the notion by making the teacher

an equal partner in the classroom (Zhang Waring et al. 310). Considering that the teacher

focuses on the needs of each of the students, the method becomes important because of

its ability to promote a learning environment that every person feels like part and parcel

of (Zhang Waring et al. 307).

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Openness in a classroom is an essentiality in the modern world of education.

Traditionally, openness was frustrated because teachers felt that they were in a level or

class that did not need the questioning of the students (Zhang Waring et al. 320). Such

has since changed and students and teachers can engage in open dialogues that help them

to forge the way forward and come up with interventions that can improve the learning

process. Learner-centered teaching methods are the most appropriate in teaching more

about the research questions (Stolzenberg et al. 173). The method will help to enhance

the understanding of the students by a significant percentage.

Discussion

Research has helped to know and understand that there is an issue with yes/no

questions. The use of yes/no questions faces challenges almost in every area or field. The

characteristics of the questions as well as the goals that can be attained using the

questions are limited (Stolzenberg et al. 170). The first and major issue that has been

highlighted pertains to limits that are established by the type of questions. A yes or no

question gives one to make one choice. In some cases, the answer that is needed must be

detailed. In such a case, it means that giving one an option of yes or no is limiting that

specific person.

Yes or no questions impact the freedom of the person who is answering the

questions. Freedom is promoted when there is a wide variety of choices to choose from.

When the freedom of answering questions is promoted, the answers are likely to be

detailed (Stolzenberg et al. 307). The person answering the questions is given the

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freedom to provide as many detailed answers as possible. Yes or no questions, therefore,

come in place to affect the quality of the answers that are provided.

Another issue that was evident is associated with the implementation of questions

with yes or no answers. The utilization of the questions is limited because the questions

cannot be used to answer qualitative questions. One can only use the questions when he

or she is in need of quantitative data. In the case of qualitative data, it is important to note

that details are essential. The lack of details in an answer affects the quality of the

answer.

Conclusion

Without fear of doubt, yes or no questions have limitations and issues. It is

important to pass this knowledge to students with the major aim of instilling them with

the knowledge that they need when selecting the types of questions to use. Yes or no

questions negatively affect the freedom of the person who is answering the questions.

However, there is a need to focus on more than only answering a question. It is important

to answer and explain the answer (Stolzenberg et al. 171). Open-ended questions are the

most suitable forms of questions in the field of business. Research has helped to note that

there are circumstances that promote the use of yes/no questions and at the same time,

there are circumstances that frustrate yes/no questions. A yes or no question is likely to

frustrate and annoy the child when he or she needs to know or explain more about a

certain issue.

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Works Cited

Ahern, Elizabeth C., et al. "The effects of secret instructions and yes/no questions on

maltreated and non‐maltreated children's reports of a minor

transgression." Behavioral sciences & the law 34.6 (2016): 784-802.

Clark, Christopher, et al. "BoolQ: Exploring the surprising difficulty of natural yes/no

questions." arXiv preprint arXiv:1905.10044 (2019).

Dzendzik, Daria, Carl Vogel, and Jennifer Foster. "Is It Dish Washer Safe?

Automatically Answering “Yes/No” Questions Using Customer

Reviews." Proceedings of the 2019 Conference of the North American Chapter of

the Association for Computational Linguistics: Student Research Workshop.

2019.

Hayes, Jennifer, Ian Stewart, and John McElwee. "Children’s answering of yes-no

questions: A review of research including particular consideration of the relational

evaluation procedure." Behavioral Development Bulletin 22.1 (2017): 173.

Hedberg, Nancy, Juan M. Sosa, and Emrah Görgülü. "The meaning of intonation in yes

no questions in American English: A corpus study." Corpus Linguistics and

Linguistic Theory 13.2 (2017): 321-368.

Mehrani, Mehdi, and Carole Peterson. "Interviewing preschoolers: Response biases to

yes–no questions." Applied Cognitive Psychology 31.1 (2017): 91-98.

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Okanda, Mako, et al. "I hear your yes‐no questions: Children's response tendencies to a

humanoid robot." Infant and Child Development 27.3 (2018): e2079.

Stolzenberg, Stacia N., Kelly McWilliams, and Thomas D. Lyon. "The effects of the

hypothetical putative confession and negatively valenced yes/no questions on

maltreated and nonmaltreated children’s disclosure of a minor

transgression." Child Maltreatment 22.2 (2017): 167-173.

Zhao, Jingbo, and Robert S. Allison. "Comparing head gesture, hand gesture and

gamepad interfaces for answering Yes/No questions in virtual

environments." Virtual Reality (2019): 1-10.

Zhang Waring, Hansun, et al. "Going general: Responding to yes–no questions in

informational webinars for prospective grant applicants." Discourse &

Communication 12.3 (2018): 307-327.

Comment Summary Page 1

1. TITLE PAGE is missing 2. This abstract is quite long. Please revise and make it tighter.

Page 3 3. Just double-space the entire paper. Don't do any more line spacing. Start at the top of each page (approx. 1-inch

from the top). 4. vices? 5. Why is this sometimes capitalized and sometimes lowercase?

Page 4 6. Again, only double-space lines...no extra line spacing

Page 5 7. transition? 8. transition from complexity to effectiveness? 9. transition from effectiveness to business perspective?