Children's question asking: some answers and more questions

Abstract Over the past century, research has demonstrated that children are curious and inquisitive. However, we know less about how children's questions—and the responses they receive—affect learning and conceptual development. This gap exists despite a longstanding acknowledgment in developmental science that questions can be powerful vehicles for development. In this article, we propose that for questions to affect development, a child must (a) recognize a gap in knowledge, (b) be curious about a topic, and (c) trust an informant to provide a useful response. When these conditions are met, a child enters what we refer to as the zone of inquiry and may ask the kinds of questions most likely to propel development.