The social practice of silence in intercultural classrooms at a UK university

Wang, Sihui; Moskal, Marta; Schweisfurth, Michele

Abstract

The paper offers an examination of the dynamics between silence, agency and power for students and instructors in intercultural classrooms at a UK university. Silent students are often stereotyped as passive learners or incompetent in critical thinking, lacking interest or having insufficient understanding. Despite the devaluation of silence, research reveals its significant role in pedagogy and its foundations in culture. The paper explores second language (L2) postgraduate international students’ classroom experiences and voices behind the silence in comparison with their peers’ and instructors’ perceptions and interpretations of students’ lack of vocal participation. Challenging talk as the privileged form of classroom communication mode, we argue for a better understanding of L2 international students’ participation and call for recognition of the pedagogical merits of silence and legitimate some forms of it as a pattern of participation.

Citation

Wang, S., Moskal, M., & Schweisfurth, M. (2022). The social practice of silence in intercultural classrooms at a UK university. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 52(4), 600-617. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1798215

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 27, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jul 27, 2020
• Publication Date: May 19, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jun 5, 2023
• Journal: COMPARE-A JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
• Print ISSN: 0305-7925
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 52
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 600-617
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1798215
• Keywords: Silence; international students; agency; power negotiation; intercultural classrooms