Open Journal Systems

Instructor verbal immediacy in the EFL classroom: Does it matter?

Xian Chen, Shameem Rafik-Galea

Article ID: 1877
Vol 6, Issue 1, 2024, Article identifier:

VIEWS - 2716 (Abstract) 278 (PDF)

Abstract

Teaching English in a monolingual context is often daunting for many EFL instructors and teachers. Studies have shown that instructors are pivotal in driving students' learning motivation. However, how EFL instructors teach, including how their verbal immediacy behavior impacts learners, often goes unnoticed. Instructor verbal immediacy is a significant factor in motivating learners to learn, especially in the EFL classroom. This paper presents findings investigating the relationship between instructor verbal immediacy behaviors and learner-state motivation in an EFL classroom in China. A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data among undergraduates majoring in English at a public university in Southeast China. The results showed that EFL instructors displayed medium to high levels of verbal immediacy and that EFL instructors’ verbal immediacy behaviors exhibited a significant correlation with EFL learners’ state motivation. The findings also revealed the two verbal immediacy behaviors as significant predictors of EFL learning motivation: using humor in class and praising students’ work, actions, or comments. Therefore, instructor verbal immediacy behaviors should be effectively integrated into EFL pedagogy to enhance EFL students' language learning motivation.


Keywords

instructor immediacy; verbal immediacy; state motivation; psychological wellbeing; EFL learning; EFL pedagogy

Full Text:

PDF



References

Ahmadi-Azad S, Asadollahfam H, Zoghi M (2021). Teachers’ interpersonal behaviors contribute to learners’ autonomous and controlled motivation. International Journal of Emotional Education, 13(1), 66-86.

Ballester EP (2015). Verbal and nonverbal teacher immediacy and foreign language anxiety in an EFL university course. Porta Linguarum: revista internacional de didáctica de las lenguas extranjeras, (23), 9-24.

Bambaeeroo F, Shokrpour N (2017). The impact of the teachers’ non-verbal communication on success in teaching. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 5(2), 51-59.

Berndt AE (2020). Sampling methods. Journal of Human Lactation, 36(2), 224-226. doi: 10.1177/0890334420906850

Bouras H, Keskes S (2014). Teacher-learner rapport impact on EFL learners’ motivation. In International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities. Istanbul, Turkey. Available online: www. Ocerint org/Socioint14_ebook/papers/201. Pdf. Retrieved from https://www.ocerints.org/Socioint14_e-publication/papers/201.pdf (accessed on 2 July 2023).

Cai M (2021). The predictability of Chinese English as a foreign language students’ willingness to communicate through teachers’ immediacy and Teacher–student rapport. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 769424. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.769424

Cirocki A, Soto ST, Encalada MAR, Cuenca KVH (2019). Motivational Strategies in the Secondary School EFL Classroom: The Case of Ecuador. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 16(2).

Corpus JH, Good K (2020). The effects of praise on children’s intrinsic motivation revisited. Psychological perspectives on praise. Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429327667-7

Creswell JW, Creswell JD (2018). Research design: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches, 5th ed. SAGE Publications.

Dalonges DA, Fried JL (2016). Creating immediacy using verbal and nonverbal methods. American Dental Hygienists’ Association, 90(4), 221-225.

Derakhshan A (2021). The predictability of Turkman students’ academic engagement through Persian language teachers’ nonverbal immediacy and credibility. J. Teach. Persian Speakers Other Lang, 10, 3-26.

Derakhshan A, Eslami ZR, Curle S, Zhaleh K (2022). Exploring the predictive role of teacher immediacy and stroke behaviors in English as a foreign language university students’ academic burnout. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 12(1), 87-115.

Derakhshan A, Zhang LJ, Zhaleh K (2023). The effects of instructor clarity and non-verbal immediacy on Chinese and Iranian EFL students’ affective learning: The mediating role of instructor understanding.

Diseth Å, Mathisen FKS, Samdal O (2020). A comparison of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation among lower and upper secondary school students. Educational Psychology, 40(8), 961-980. doi: 10.1080/01443410.2020.1778640

Dong H, Sherer R, Lio J, Jiang I (2022). Teacher Immediacy for Effective Teaching in Medical Education. Medical Science Educator, 32(6), 1535-1539. doi: 10.1007/s40670-022-01672-0

Fallah N (2014). Willingness to communicate in English, communication self-confidence, motivation, shyness, and teacher immediacy among Iranian English-major undergraduates: A structural equation modeling approach. Learning and Individual Differences, 30, 140-147. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2013.12.006

Farnia M, Mohammadi S (2021). Exploring EFL teachers’ and learners’ perception of L2 humor: A case study of Iranian English language institutes. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(1), 151-168.

Fatima T, Zalfaqar M, Ali Mehdi A, Ahmed S (2023). Investigation of Professional, Spiritual and Emotional Intelligence on Organizational Learning. International Journal of Management Thinking, 1(1), 1-19. doi: 10.56868/ijmt.v1i1.11.

Frymier AB, Goldman ZW, Claus CJ (2019). Why nonverbal immediacy matters: A motivation explanation. Communication Quarterly, 67(5), 526-539. doi: 10.1080/01463373.2019.1668442

Furlich S (2013). Enhancing Online Teaching with Verbal Immediacy through Self-Determination Theory. In: Proceedings of E-Learn 2013--World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education; Las Vegas, NV, USA. pp. 694-703.

Furlich SA (2016). Understanding instructor nonverbal immediacy, verbal immediacy, and student motivation at a small liberal arts university. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 16(3), 11-22. doi: 10.14434/josotl.v16i3.19284

Ge ZG, Zhang AY, Li YF, Su J (2019). Exploring the impact of teachers’ verbal immediacy as an emotion-mediating factor on adult e-learners’ language learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 22(4), 77-89.

Girón-García C, Gargallo-Camarillas N (2020). Multimodal and perceptual learning styles affect students’ motivation in a digital environment. The EuroCALL Review, 28(2), 23-38.

Goldman ZW, Goodboy AK, Weber K (2017). College students’ psychological needs and intrinsic motivation to learn: Examining self-determination theory. Communication Quarterly, 65(2), 167-191. doi: 10.1080/01463373.2016.1215338

Gorham J (1988). The relationship between verbal teacher immediacy behaviors and student learning. Communication Education, 37(1), 40-53. doi: 10.1080/03634528809378702

Gravetter FJ, Wallnau LB, Forzano LAB, Witnauer JE (2020). Essentials of statistics for the behavioral sciences. Cengage Learning.

Guo H, Gao W, Shen Y (2022). L2 Enjoyment of English as a foreign language student: Does teacher verbal and non-verbal immediacy matter? Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 897698. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.897698

Gholamrezaee S, Ghanizadeh A (2018). EFL teachers’ verbal and nonverbal immediacy: A study of its impact on students’ emotional states, cognitive learning, and burnout. Psychological Studies, 63(4), 398-409. doi: 10.1007/s12646-018-0467-5

Hsu L (2010). The impact of perceived teachers’ nonverbal immediacy on students’ motivation for learning English. Asian EFL Journal, 12(4), 188-204.

Huang C (2022). Self-regulation of learning and EFL learners’ hope and joy: A literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 833279. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.833279

Hussain T, Azeem A, Abid N (2021). Examining the correlation between University students’ perceived teacher immediacy and their motivation. Psychological Education Journal, 58(1), 5809–5820.

Kácovský P, Snětinová M, Chvál M, et al. (2023). Predictors of students’ intrinsic motivation during practical work in physics. International Journal of Science Education, 1-21. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2023.2175626

Kawagoe T, Onoda K, Yamaguchi S (2020). The association of motivation with mind wandering in trait and state levels. PloS one, 15(8), e0237461. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237461

Kelly S, Rice C, Wyatt B, et al. (2015). Teacher immediacy and decreased student quantitative reasoning anxiety: The mediating effect of perception. Communication Education, 64(2), 171-186. doi: 10.1080/03634523.2015.1014383

Khan TJ, Shaik-Abdullah S, Murad Sani A (2023a). The Impact of English Teachers on ESL Pre-University Students’ L2 Reading Motivation in Pakistan. Journal of Advances in Humanities Research, 2(3), 53–68. doi: 10.56868/jadhur.v2i3.152

Khan TJ, Shaik-Abdullah S, Murad Sani A (2023b). Motivation for Reading in English: A Needed Agenda in Pakistan. Journal of Advances in Humanities Research, 2(1), 83-90. doi: 10.56868/jadhur.v2i1.97

Khan TJ, Shaik-Abdullah S, Murad Sani A (2023c). Motivation for Reading in English: A Needed Agenda in Pakistan. Journal of Advances in Humanities Research, 2(1), 83-90.

Li C (2021). Understanding L2 demotivation among Chinese tertiary EFL learners from an activity theory perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 704430. Li, C. (2021). Understanding L2 demotivation among Chinese tertiary EFL learners from an activity theory perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 704430.

Lin YY (2020). Support matters Predictors of intrinsic motivation in older learners in Taiwan. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 60(2), 190-212.

Liu W (2021). Does teacher immediacy affect students? A systematic review of the association between teacher verbal and non-verbal immediacy and student motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 713978. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713978

Maclellan E (2005). Academic achievement: The role of praise in motivating students. Active Learning in Higher Education, 6(3), 194-206. doi: 10.1177/1469787405057750

Mahmud Z, Yaacob M (2007). The relationship between teacher’s immediacy and student motivation and learning: A literature analysis. Jurnal Pendidikan, 32, 91-101.

Mardiah H (2020). The value of teachers’ effective praise and feedback to adult learners to create a positive classroom climate. VISION, 16(1). doi: 10.30829/vis.v16i1.714

Mayor E (2020). Nonverbal Immediacy Mediates the Relationship Between Interpersonal Motives and Belongingness. Frontiers in Sociology, 5, 596429. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2020.596429

Meesuwan S (2022). The Differences in Democratic Attitudes Between Thai Generations with Early Political Experiences Under Different Regimes. Pakistan Journal of Life & Social Sciences, 20(2). doi: 10.57239/PJLSS-2022-20.2.002

Megawati W, Hartono R (2020). The Impact of Teachers’ Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication on Students’ Motivation in Learning English. English Education Journal, 10(4), 436-448. doi: 10.15294/eej.v10i4.39157

Meng Y (2021). Fostering EFL/ESL students’ state motivation: the role of teacher-student rapport. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 754797. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754797

Muhammad SA, Rahman S (2017). The use of humor in mathematics teaching and its relationship with students’ concentration and motivation. Advanced Science Letters, 23(2), 1012-1015. doi: 10.1166/asl.2017.7476

Paziresh A, Hessamodini N, Jafari Z (2022). Iranian EFL Learners’ Perceptions Towards Demotivation in Learning English. Journal of Modern Languages, 32(1), 104-127. doi: 10.22452/jml.vol32no1.6

Peng C (2021). Students’ academic motivation and engagement in English as a foreign language classes: Does teacher praise matter? Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 778174. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.778174

Ramos Salazar L, Hayward SL (2018). An Examination of College Students’ Problem-Solving Self-Efficacy, Academic Self-Efficacy, Motivation, Test Performance, and Expected Grade in Introductory-Level Economics Courses. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 16(3), 217-240. doi: 10.1111/dsji.12161

Rezapour N, Fazilatfar AM (2023). Iranian EFL teachers’ reflective ability, their teaching experience, and learners’ motivation: Exploring possible relationships. Reflective Practice, 24(1), 100-112. doi: 10.1080/14623943.2022.2143341

Romaniuk O (2020). The first impression matters. The art of male romantic communication in American media dating culture. Discourse and Interaction, 13(1), 67-91.

Sally FHS (2018). Students’ affective learning factors in learning English on teachers’ nonverbal immediacy. International Journal of Humanities and Innovation (IJHI), 1(3), 140-149. doi: 10.33750/ijhi.v1i3.18

Salmee SA, Arif MM (2019). A study on the use of humor in motivating students to learn English. Asian Journal of University Education, 15(3), 257-265.

Shakir M (2021). Relationship between teachers’ non-verbal immediacy behaviors and students’ motivation: An evidence from Pakistani ESL classrooms. The Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Peshawar, 29(1), 43-58.

Shakir M, Khan M (2021). The Impact of Teachers’ Immediacy Behavior on Students’ Motivation: Implications For Pedagogy and Future Research. Webology, 18(5).

Sheybani M (2019). The relationship between EFL learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) and their teacher immediacy attributes: A structural equation modeling. Cogent Psychology, 6(1), 1607051. doi: 10.1080/23311908.2019.1607051

Souders B (2019). What is motivation? A psychologist explains. Positive Psychology.

Teo T, Khazaie S, Derakhshan A (2022). Exploring teacher immediacy-(non) dependency in the tutored augmented reality game-assisted flipped classrooms of English for medical purposes comprehension among the Asian students: Computers & Education, 179, 104406. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104406

Titsworth BS (2000). The effects of praise on student motivation in the introductory communication course. Basic Communication Course Annual, 12(1), 5.

Todaka Y (2017). Self-efficacy of English listening skills in Japanese college EFL learners: Quantitative and qualitative analyses. European Journal of English Language Teaching.

Van Iddekinge CH, Aguinis H, Mackey JD, DeOrtentiis PS (2018). A meta-analysis of the interactive, additive, and relative effects of cognitive ability and motivation on performance. Journal of Management, 44(1), 249-279. doi: 10.1177/0149206317702220

Vareberg KR, Luo Z, Westerman D, et al. (2020). For a good class, email: Technologically-mediated out-of-class communication and instructional outcomes. The Internet and Higher Education, 47, 100761. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2020.100761

Vreven D, McFadden S (2007). An empirical assessment of cooperative groups in large, time-compressed, introductory courses. Innovative Higher Education, 32(2), 85-92. doi: 10.1007/s10755-007-9040-1

Wang Z (2023). Psychological factors and production behaviors of Chinese undergraduate EFL learners. PLoS ONE, 18(7), e0288014. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288014

Wijaya RK (2017). Students’ perception of teachers’ non-verbal immediacy behavior toward students’ attitude and motivation in learning English. ELT Worldwide, 4(1), 75-91.

Xaypanya V, Mohamed Ismail SAM, Low HM (2017). Demotivation experienced by English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in the Lao PDR. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 26, 361-368.

York D (2013). Investigating a relationship between non-verbal communication and student learning [PhD thesis]. Lindenwood University.

Yu Y, Zhou D (2022). Understanding Chinese EFL learners’ anxiety in second language writing for the sustainable development of writing skills. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1010010. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1010010

Zhang B (2022). The relationship between Chinese EFL learners’ resilience and academic motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 871554. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.871554

Zhang Q, Oetzel JG (2006). A cross-cultural test of immediacy–learning models in Chinese classrooms. Communication Education, 55(3), 313-330. doi: 10.1080/03634520600748599

Zhang Q, Witt PL (2016). Instructor immediacy. In: Witt PL (editor). Handbooks of communication science: Communication and learning. De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 157-181.

Zhao Q, Li W (2016). Measuring perceptions of teachers’ caring behaviors and their relationship to motivational responses in physical education among middle school students. Physical Educator, 73(3), 510.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/fls.v6i1.1877
(2716 Abstract Views, 278 PDF Downloads)

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Xian Chen, Shameem Rafik-Galea

License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/