The preventive role of teachers’ immediacy behaviours and classroom climate in EFL students’ self-silencing: a self-determination theory perspective

ABSTRACT

The influence of teachers’ interpersonal communication abilities and learning environment on second/foreign language (L2) students has received a growing scholarly attention. However, the preventing role of teachers’ immediacy behaviours and classroom climate on English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ negative, destructive emotions has been ignored. To fill this gap, this study aimed to discover the association among EFL teachers’ immediacy behaviours, classroom climate, and students’ self-silencing in light of self-determination theory. Moreover, it sought to detect if students’ self-silencing could be predicted by teachers’ immediacy behaviours and classroom climate. A total of 380 Chinese EFL students filled in three validated questionnaires. The results of factor analysis and correlation analysis pointed out that teachers’ immediacy behaviours and classroom climate had a significant negative relationship with students’ self-silencing. It was also found that about 79% of modifications in students’ self-silencing could be predicted and explained by their teachers’ immediacy behaviours and classroom climate. Discussions of the findings and possible implications for practising positive psychology (PP) and interpersonal communication in L2 education are also presented.

KEYWORDS:

• EFL teacher
• positive psychology
• self-determination theory
• teachers’ immediacy behaviours
• classroom climate
• students’ self-silencing

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Zhoukou Vocational and Technical College.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This article is one of the main achievements of the 2021 Henan Province Higher Education Teaching Reform Practice Project ‘Exploration and Practice of Ideological and Political Construction in Higher Vocational Education under the ADDIE Model – Taking “Mental Health Education” as an Example' (Project ID 2021SJGLX778).