The Reticent Student: Implications for Nurse Educators

Abstract

Nursing education bas recently begun to shift to a more emancipatory learning format. In accord with Freiré, many nursing classrooms currently use dialogical teaching approaches as an integral part of the education process. There are many students unable to share in the process of dialogue because of reticence. Reticence is a personality quality in which a person is reluctant to speak. While dialogue appears to be a way to promote learning and is intended to result in emancipation for students, it may result in subjugation for the shy, reticent student. The literature does not provide information regarding the impact of reticence on the student in higher education, particularly the student in a profeesional program. This article discusses the impact of reticence on the learning experiences of nursing· students and the effects of classroom dynamics and teaching methodologies used with nursing students.

Learner Reticence at the Time of the Pandemic: Examining Filipino Students’ Communication Behaviors in Remote Learning

“…Fear of losing face, low proficiency, negative evaluation, cultural beliefs about appropriate behavior in classroom contexts, incomprehensible input, teacher's teaching techniques, lack of confidence, introversion, and perceived communicative competence (Tsui, 1996;Jenkins, 2008;Liu & Jackson, 2011;Xie, 2009;Delima, 2011) are among the causes of reticence reported in language classrooms. Scholarship on classroom communication has also discussed learner reticence as experienced by students in nursing courses (Leonard & Johnson, 1998), postgraduate engineering courses (Hilton, 2018), and multicultural, multi-modal college classes (Peacock, 2017). While they do not share the same communicative expectations as language classes, higher education courses are often held in a more emancipatory learning format that integrates discourse and dialogue in the teaching-learning approaches (Leggett et al, 2018;Leonard & Johnson, 1998).…”

“…Scholarship on classroom communication has also discussed learner reticence as experienced by students in nursing courses (Leonard & Johnson, 1998), postgraduate engineering courses (Hilton, 2018), and multicultural, multi-modal college classes (Peacock, 2017). While they do not share the same communicative expectations as language classes, higher education courses are often held in a more emancipatory learning format that integrates discourse and dialogue in the teaching-learning approaches (Leggett et al, 2018;Leonard & Johnson, 1998). While dialogue has been found effective in promoting learning, it may result in subjugation for students who experience communication apprehension in the classroom.…”

“…Learner reticence -students' inadequate ability in self-expression usually manifested in reluctance to engage in classroom discourse-remains one of the biggest instructional communication challenges most teachers face today. While dialogue remains to be one of the most effective ways to promote learning and is intended to result in emancipation for students, it may result in subjugation for shy, reticent students (Leonard & Johnson, 1998). Recent pandemic-induced changes in learning delivery have put students at an ever bigger disadvantage in terms of practicing discourse since the majority of the difficulties they experience in remote learning involve and are affected by their resources' capacities to sustain communication with their teachers and classmates.…”