Inferential question on teaching and learning process

Inferential questioning comprehension is crucial in education, by fostering cognitive skills, critical thinking, and deeper understanding. In early childhood education, teachers use these questions to help students connect prior knowledge with new information. This study aims to examine the types of inferential questions employed by teachers and students during teaching and learning process and their impact on student engagement and comprehension. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, the research explores natural teacher-student interactions through classroom observations and discourse analysis. Data were collected from thirty teacher-student interactions in a Kindergarten 1 Friendly Class at Yehonala covering five subjects: English (Data A), Science (Data B), Craft (Data C), Bahasa Indonesia (Data D), and Math (Data E). The study analyzed six types of inferences: local, global, elaborative, procedural, confirmatory, and corrective. Findings show that inferential questioning enhances student’s participation, logical thinking, and comprehension. Local inferences help students follow instructions using visual cues, while global inferences connect lessons to broader concepts. Elaborative inferences link new knowledge with prior knowledge, strengthening critical thinking. Procedural and confirmatory inferences support task completion and understanding. The study concludes that inferential questioning is an effective teaching strategy for improving comprehension and problem-solving skills, emphasizing the importance of structured questioning techniques and varied inferential prompts in learning. With inferential differences in questioning within the teaching and learning process, educators can create a more interactive inquiry-based learning environment that fosters deeper understanding and long-term knowledge retention in young learners.