Students’ perceptions of silence, wait time, and participation in EFL class-rooms

Abstract

This research explores the way in which students in one particular private university in Egypt experience silence, wait time, and participation while learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). In contravention of the more negative interpretations of the possible deficits of silence, the research adopts an interpretivist approach to explore how the students themselves make sense of non-verbal participation. Employing semi-structured interviews of undergraduate students, the research conceptualises the experience of silence as a form of cognitive, affective, and social practice in and of itself, and not as the lack of participation. The research results indicate the way in which the students make use of the experience of silence in order to organise their thoughts, language, and emotions, as well as to manage interpersonal relationships in the classroom. Moreover, the research makes it clear how the experience of silence is an act which is shaped by cultural factors and educational experiences in the past, where value is placed on attentiveness, respect, and self-control. In particular, the research explains how students self-identifying as active speakers make use of the experience of silence in order to facilitate and enhance interpersonal relationships between peers and to enhance the classroom harmony. Additionally, the research shows how classroom constraints shape students’ decision to speak or to remain silently in the classroom.