The Predictability of Chinese English as a Foreign Language Students' Willingness to Communicate Through Teachers' Immediacy and Teacher-Student Rapport

Towards the implications of positive teacher interpersonal behaviors for Spanish learners' academic engagement: Voices from Chinese SFL learners

With the advent of positive psychology in the area of language education, more focus has been placed on the consequences of favorable teacher communication behaviors in language classes. Nonetheless, the function of language instructors' interpersonal behaviors in raising learners' engagement is somehow unknown. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no research study has been carried out in Spanish language classes to explore the function of teacher communication behaviors in learners' engagement. To fill this lacuna, the current inquiry looked into the role of teachers' positive interpersonal factors in Chinese SFL learners' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. For this purpose, a random sample of 32 SFL learners was chosen to participate in our online interview sessions. The answers of SFL learners to the interview questions were thematically analyzed via MAXQDA software. The thematic analysis findings pointed to the value of teacher communication behaviors in improving SFL learners' engagement. The analysis outcomes also demonstrated the potential of 11 positive interpersonal behaviors (rapport, care, clarity, credibility, confirmation, immediacy, closeness, praise, feedback, respect, and stroke) in increasing Spanish language learners' academic engagement. The practical implications that may emerge from the present study's outcomes are finally discussed.

Perceived teacher-student relationship and growth mindset as predictors of student engagement in foreign student engagement in foreign language learning: the mediating role of foreign language enjoyment

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between perceived teacher-student relationship, growth mindset, student engagement, and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) among Chinese English learners.

Methods

A total of 413 Chinese EFL learners participated in the study and completed self-report measures for perceived teacher-student relationship, growth mindset, student engagement in foreign language learning, and FLE. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the validity of the scales. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model.

Results

The partial mediation model demonstrated the best fit to the data. The results indicated that perceived teacher-student relationship had a direct impact on student engagement. FLE directly influenced student engagement, while growth mindset indirectly affected student engagement through the mediation of FLE.

Discussion

The findings suggest that fostering positive teacher-student relationships and promoting a growth mindset can enhance FLE, leading to increased levels of student engagement. These results emphasize the importance of considering both the interpersonal dynamics between teachers and students and the role of mindset in foreign language learning.

Toward the Role of Teacher Caring and Teacher-Student Rapport in Predicting English as a Foreign Language Learners' Willingness to Communicate in Second Language

Following the advent of positive psychology (PP), positive communication behaviors have been studied as significant predictors of language learners' willingness to communicate in second language (L2WTC). Yet, the role of two important communication behaviors, namely teacher caring and teacher-student rapport, in predicting EFL learners' L2WTC has remained elusive. To address this gap, this investigation assessed the impact of teacher caring and teacher-student rapport on Chinese EFL learners' L2WTC. To do so, 4392 Chinese EFL learners were invited to answer three reliable questionnaires. Performing Spearman correlation analysis, favorable relationships were found among the variables. Multiple regression analysis was also conducted to inspect the potential of teacher caring and teacher-student rapport in predicting Chinese EFL learners' L2WTC. The outcomes of multiple regression analysis indicated that Chinese EFL learners' L2WTC can be substantially predicted by teacher caring behaviors and teacher-student rapport. The implications and limitations of the findings are also discussed.

Students' Classroom Silence and Hopelessness: The Impact of Teachers' Immediacy on Mainstream Education

The students' silence in the classroom has lately become an area of attention of educators and scholars similarly; however, the factors influencing students' classroom silence are not mainly scrutinized. This construct has been regarded as a problem of the communication between the educator and the learners that not only impact completing the teaching objectives in the classroom but also affect the nurturing of learners' achievement. In addition, teachers positively have a noteworthy function in learners' growth and progress and its behavior such as their immediacy remains a significant issue toward stimulating effective educational methods. Whilst teacher immediacy in a classroom setting is important, there is growing awareness about its important effect on learners' silence and hopelessness. This review tries to provide some considerations about the relationship between teacher immediacy, both verbal and non-verbal, and students' active silence and hopelessness. Successively, some suggestions are offered to lighten the practice of educators, learners, and teacher instructors.