Questioning, Scaffolding, and Classroom Interaction in Primary Schools in Uganda

This study investigated questioning strategies, scaffolding practices, and classroom interaction processes in primary schools in Bududa District, Uganda. Guided by Interactional Sociolinguistics, Speech Act Theory, and the Interaction Hypothesis, the study examined how teachers organize classroom discourse, negotiate meaning, and facilitate learner participation through verbal and non-verbal communication strategies. A qualitative descriptive research design was employed, and data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured teacher interviews, teacher questionnaires, learner questionnaires, and focus group discussions. The study involved 80 teachers, 120 learners, 10 head teachers, and observations from 15 classrooms across rural and semi-urban primary schools. Findings revealed that classroom interaction was predominantly shaped through directives, explanations, questioning sequences, and scaffolding strategies. Open-ended, referential, and probing questions significantly enhanced learner participation, negotiation of meaning, and uptake, while excessive reliance on display questions often restricted interaction to brief responses. Teachers frequently employed scaffolding techniques such as prompts, reformulations, repetition, clarification requests, and guided feedback to support comprehension and sustain participation. Non-verbal communicative resources including gestures, gaze, facial expressions, and tone complemented verbal interaction by reinforcing meaning and regulating classroom participation. The findings further revealed notable differences between rural and semi-urban classrooms, particularly in learner participation patterns, questioning practices, and dialogic interaction. The study concludes that effective classroom interaction depends largely on teachers’ pragmatic competence, particularly their ability to balance authority with learner-centered communication. The study contributes to classroom discourse scholarship by providing empirical evidence from multilingual Ugandan primary classrooms, a context that remains underrepresented in interactional sociolinguistics research. The study recommends integrating pragmatic awareness, dialogic communication strategies, questioning techniques, and multimodal interaction skills into teacher education and professional development programs.