Social signalling as a non verbal behaviour of teachers in ESL classroom interaction

Abstract

Non-verbal cues and behaviours are essential aspects of classroom talk, however many studies that were conducted in the field of classroom talk only focused on verbal interaction of teachers' talk and overlooked the importance of non-verbal signalling. The aim of this study is to examine the social signal aspect of teachers' speech in classroom interaction. It particularly investigates the use of non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, bodily gestures and eye contact conveyed by teachers during their classroom lesson, to understand their emotional state and intention. Social signals are chosen as a variable to explore the teachers' classroom interaction as it plays a fundamental role in shaping how messages are delivered to the students in classroom context. Particularly, this study focuses to understand how social signalling shapes the success of teachers' classroom intentions. It is specifically concerned with exploring teachers' non-verbal behaviour and its effectiveness in classroom interaction. This study is beneficial to teachers in understanding their non-verbal cues better to accomplish effective classroom talk.