Abstract

Developing a questioning attitude among students at the higher education level is crucial for fostering critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and deeper understanding. However, this endeavour faces significant challenges rooted in cultural and educational norms, fear of judgment, lack of confidence, inadequate instructor training, large class sizes, and traditional assessment methods. These issues inhibit students from actively engaging in inquiry and developing the necessary skills to question effectively. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach, including creating a supportive and inclusive classroom environment, modelling questioning behaviour, implementing interactive teaching methods, and providing professional development for instructors. Additionally, incorporating inquiry-based learning, reforming assessment strategies to value critical thinking, utilizing technology to facilitate anonymous questioning and encouraging interdisciplinary learning can further enhance students' questioning skills. By overcoming these obstacles, higher education institutions can cultivate a culture of inquiry, empowering students to become active learners, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners. At this juncture this paper highlights the importance of questioning by the students in the class, the problems and possible solutions associated with it.