An exploration on the silence in the classroom within a diagnostic perspective: Whose silence is this?

Abstract

This article proposes a framework for the process of revealing personal information about one's self to other people via reflections on one's personal beliefs, feelings and experiences in response to silence in the classroom. The purpose of this study is to explore silence as a means of communication through the perceptions of foreign language learners and teachers. Reflections on a language learners' psychological approach towards the interaction with the teacher have been discussed in terms of their attitudes to their teacher talk. The findings of this study are the outcome of the research on the analysis of learners' diaries conducted by Renan Saylag in 2013 at Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey. The participants of the study were 32 students from the B1 levels and speaking class students. The results of the study revealed that students' criticism of silence via diaries have shed light on the possible reasons for silence in the classroom. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.