Self-Report and Student-Report Nonverbal Teacher Immediacy (NTI) in College EFL Speaking Classes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.25541Keywords:
nonverbal teacher immediacy, instructional communication, self-report nonverbal immediacy, observer-report nonverbal immediacyAbstract
Teacher immediacy, or affinity-seeking tactics (both verbal and non-verbal) that teachers use to create a supportive and friendly learning environment for learners, is particularly relevant to EFL speaking classes with a focus on communication. This research looks into whether there is a discrepancy between how teachers and their students perceive nonverbal teacher immediacy behaviors in a Vietnamese higher-education context. Four teachers and 138 first-year EFL students from eight English-speaking skills classes at a Vietnamese college were recruited. Data analysis of students’ and teachers’ questionnaires and narrative analysis of teachers’ interviews highlight that although the two perspectives share some similarity regarding posture, eye contact, and smiling, more prominent disparities are present in other nonverbal behaviors. The research contributes to existing literature, as well as informs teachers, teacher educators, and other stakeholders about the importance of nonverbal teacher immediacy in EFL and broader contexts.
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