Silence and Participation in the Language Classroom

Abstract

In many cultures silence is an accepted and valued aspect of classroom participation and learning.

Understanding Silence and Reticence : Ways of Participating in Second Language Acquisition

“…These results do not connect with the common view of "silent" East Asian students; instead, the Korean students in this study are portrayed as wanting to be more verbally interactive in their university classrooms. Bao echoes the arguments of other authors to avoid stereotyping Korean and other Asian learners (Granger, 2012).…”

“…In Chapter 1, "Repositioning Silence," Bao discusses silence and its perceived unimportant role in L2 learning. In accordance with Granger (2012), he argues that silence should not be viewed as an absence of talk, but as a means of communication on its own. Notably, Bao distinguishes between silence and reticence, arguing that silence has many positive traits and uses.…”

“…Bao notes that in the Australian context, much like the North American context, silence is viewed as indicating a lack of critical thinking, social phobia, inhibition, and a host of other negative traits. Generally speaking, in most Western contexts, talking and interacting are privileged, and even necessary, elements of learning (Granger, 2012). However, Bao's interview data yielded surprising results as the majority of the students counted silence as a significant tool for L2 processing.…”