Abstract

Questioning is the primary learning mechanism whereby children with limited knowledge actively gather information. As children grow older, their questions become more efficient. To effectively search for information, one must direct appropriate questions to suitable sources and evaluate the informativeness of the answers received. Moreover, individuals should be adept at employing strategies, such as follow-up questions, to acquire additional information. Cognitive abilities are required to navigate these processes. This review presents an overview of prior research on the developmental trajectories of children’s questioning abilities, with emphasis on the epistemic function of questions. The influence of general cognitive abilities - metacognition, probabilistic reasoning, categorization skills, and executive functions - on questioning is also reviewed. Lastly, interventions to enhance children’s questioning abilities are reviewed and areas of future research are suggested.