Abstract
This study aims to analyse questioning strategies by English teachers during classroom interactions at SMPN 26 Padang. This research employs a qualitative descriptive design, with data collected through classroom observation and recorded by using audio and video recording. The findings indicate that prompting strategies are the most frequently used, accounting for 49% of the total questions, followed by probing at 38.5% and repeating at 12.5%. Redirecting strategies were not found in the observed classroom interactions. Furthermore, analysis based on Bloom’s Taxonomy reveals that 76.92% of the questions are categorized under lower-order thinking skills, particularly remembering (31%) and understanding (42.5%), while only 12.5% of the questions address higher-order thinking skills such as analyzing, evaluating, and creating. These findings suggest that although the teachers’ questioning strategies support student participation, they are mostly limited to encouraging factual recall and basic comprehension rather than fostering critical thinking. Therefore, it is essential for teachers to develop more varied and cognitively demanding questioning strategies to promote meaningful classroom discourse. This study provides useful insights for educators to reflect on their current practices and enhance the quality of their instructional strategies in English language teaching, particularly in junior high school settings like SMPN 26 Padang.