THE ROLE OF SILENCE IN TEACHER–STUDENT INTERACTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR CLASSROOM DISCOURSE

Abstract

Silence in an academic setting is a complex tool of communication which could be seen as contemplation, cultural values, resistance or emotional expression. This qualitative investigation explores the meaning of silence in teacher student communications in English classrooms in the University of Education, Lahore. The data were collected by means of classroom observation (15 hours) and semi-structured interviews of 10 teachers and 30 students. The thematic analysis helped to identify three major themes, which include silence as a manifestation of reflection, silence as a manifestation of resistance, and silence as a manifestation of cultural expression. Findings suggest that teachers tend to perceive silence as a sign of indifference, and students tend to consider quiet behaviour to be an intentional mental or cultural behaviour. The paper presents pedagogical recommendations ( pause-time, multimodal engagement, reflective exercises) and suggests a new conceptualization of the concept of participation to include silent forms of participation. Implications of teacher education and curriculum development are dealt with.