This document describes a study that analyzed the developmental stages of question formation abilities in fourth semester English students at Mulawarman University in Indonesia. It reviewed various theories on developmental stages in language learning, including theories by Pienemann, Johnston and Brindley that identified 6 stages of question formation. The study used a qualitative research method to analyze questions students generated from a reading passage. Their questions were categorized according to the 6 developmental stages to determine which stages students had mastered.

1. The Description of Developmental Stages for Question
Formation of the Fourth Semester Students of English
Department of Mulawarman University in Academic Year
2011/2012
By Nurul Achmad (08.0508.5141)
Group Member:
Alifa Prima Budiarga
Indy Rahmawaty
Muhammad Syuaib
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2. CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

3. CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE

4. Concept of Developmental Stage
Concept of Formation
Concept of
Developmental Stage
A degree in a process to do with
development
Concept of
Question Formation
A forming or structure of sentence
that ask for information
Concept of
Developmental Stage
for Question
A degree of process progression in
learning language especially for
forming sentence that ask for

5. Type of Questions by Schramper
WH-Questions
What Kind of music do you
like?
Yes-no Questions
Would Kelly be there next
week?
Question Tag
Jacob is here, isn’t he?
Negative Questions
Isn’t the teacher here today?

6. Type of Questions by Pyle and Page
WH-Questions
What Kind of music do you
like?
Yes-no Questions
Would Kelly be there next
week?
Question Tag
Jacob is here, isn’t he?
Embedded Question
I don‟t know where she
lives

7. Developmental Stage for Question
Formation by Diane and Michael
Rising Intonation
She work today?
Uninverted WH
(+/- auxiliary)
What he (is) saying?
„Overinversion‟
Do you know where is it?
Differentiation
Does she like where she lives?

8. Developmental Stage for Question Formation
by Pienemann, Johnston and Brindley
Stage
Description
Sample Utterance
1
Single word of formulae
Four children?
2
Declarative word orders
(no inversion, no fronting)
It‟s a monster in the right corner?
The boys throw the shoes?
Fronting
Where the children are?
Is the picture has two planets on
top?
3

9. Developmental Stage for Question Formation
by Pienemann, Johnston and Brindley
Stage
Description
4
Inversion in wh- and yes-no
question
(auxiliary other than „do‟)
Where is the sun?
Is there fish in the water?
5
Inversion in wh-question
(by using how)
How do you get to Plasa Mulia?
Complex Question
It‟s better, isn‟t it?
Why can‟t you go?
Can you tell me what date is today?
6
Sample Utterance

10. 
Sitti Hamidah (2002) – Developmental Stages
for Question Formation

Sudirman (2004) – Developmental Stage of
Negative Sentence

11. CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD

12.  qualitative research
 data will be narrative evidence
 table of analyzing data only for supporting
the data

13.  The fourth semester students of English
Department of Mulawarman University in
academic year 2011/2012
 25% of the subjects
 Random system

14.  Reading passage test in titled “Thomas
and the Gorillas” from Reading Power
Second Edition book by Beatrice S.
Mickulecky

15.  Giving the reading test to the students
 Asking them to make various questions
 Collecting the data in form of various
questions
 Making table of collecting the data based
on Pienemann, Johnston and Brindley‟s
stage (1988)

16.  Analyzing by listing in the stage table
systematically
 Counting how many students made
question and how many questions
students made for each stage
 Finding the highest total number of
students and questions that students can
make it