VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ THU TRANG A NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION STUDY ON THE APPLICATION OF CLASSROOM SEATING ARRANGEMENTS IN ACADEMIC SETTING AT HANOI SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH (NGHIÊN CỨU GIAO TIẾP PHI NGÔN TỪ VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG CÁC CÁCH SẮP XẾP CHỖ NGỒI TRONG LỚP HỌC TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC Y TẾ CÔNG CỘNG) M. MINOR THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 Course: 15 Supervisor: Assoc. NGUYEN QUANG (Ph.) HANOI - 2009 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………. Aims of the study……………………………………………………………………………3 III.
Scope of the study…………………………………………………………………. Methods of the study……………………………………………………………. Design of the study………………………………………………………………………… 4 PART II: DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………….5 CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………………. What nonverbal communication?.
Classroom communication styles and classroom seating arrangements…………. Seating arrangements and teacher-student interactions……………………………………. Basic classroom seating arrangements………………………………………………………. Evaluation of classroom seating arrangements………………………………………….…21 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………23 II.
Comments on the survey questionnaires………………………………………………. Comments on the informants…………………………………………………………….24 CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS…………………………………………. The proxemics of classroom seating arrangement………………………………………26 III. The physical environment…………………………………………………………………….
The social environment………………………………………………………………………. The application of classroom seating arrangements in ELT classes at Hanoi School of Public Health…………………………………………………………………………. Teachers’ responses……………………………………………………………………………33 PART III: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………35 I. Summary of main findings………………………………………………………………….
Suggestions for further study…………………………………………………………….37 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Tables Content Page Table 1 The teachers’ perceptions of teaching styles used 25 The students’ perceptions of physical environment in traditional Table 2 27 lecture-style classrooms The teachers’ perceptions of physical environment in traditional Table 3 28 lecture-style classrooms The students’ perceptions of social environment in traditional Table 4 29 lecture-style classrooms The teachers’ perceptions of social environment in traditional Table 5 30 lecture-style classrooms The students’ perceptions of the application of different classroom Table 6 32 seating arrangements for different teaching styles LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 PART I: INTRODUCTION I. Rationale It has now been widely accepted that the physical environment plays an important role in the learning and teaching process. Cornell believes that this more engaged process of learning reduces or eliminates drowsiness and muscle fatigue. However, no research has provided evidence of whether or not and how the physical arrangement of seating supports the interaction and the efforts of students and the teacher.
Moreover, Sommer (1967) finds that the seating position that a student selects in a general-purpose classroom is highly correlated with his/her participation in the class. For decades, the term “classroom” was characterized as a rectangular room where the “focus was directed to the front where the instructor exercised complete control of the pace, content, and sequence of activities” (Cornell, 2003:1) by using a blackboard and an overhead projector. However, the traditional style of instruction, where the teacher delivers the information and students sit silently taking notes, is slowly being replaced with student-centered learning (Nair, 2000). This implies that the traditional type of seating arrangement (desk rows) should be replaced by more flexible ones, such as U- shape, modular or circular to foster interaction among students themselves, support communication with teachers, and motivate individual students to learn.
Halpern (1994) also agrees with Nair (2000) that effective learning rarely occurs passively. As a result, “educators have come to realize that effective instruction focuses on active involvement of LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 students in their own learning, with opportunities for teacher and peer interactions that engage students’ natural curiosity” (Halpern, 1994:11). Wolff (2002) states that in addition to more student-centered learning that current literature indicates a need for changing learning expectations to prepare students for the changing roles and responsibilities in work, family and community for the 21st century. She discovers that cooperative, project-based learning is identified as a pedagogy that prepares learners for these new expectations by “conceiving, developing, and implementing projects relevant to the learners’ needs.” (Wolff, 2002:3) Through collaborative and project-based education, students have a means to learn critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, negotiation skills, and how to take responsibility for their own learning.
In 2002, Wolff conducted a study on design features of the physical learning environment that support and enhance cooperative, project-based learning at the community college level. She found that all of the participants stated the need for flexibility in spaces used for cooperative and project based learning, i. Of the thesis author‟s training institution, Hanoi School of Public Health has a history of 9 years. It is a new school with a new major in Vietnam.
However, public heath is popular in almost all developed countries. Most subjects such as epidemiology, environment, population, disaster, accidents and injuries, reproductive health, occupational health use course books and documents translated from English. Therefore, English language teaching and learning at this school is considered one of the top priorities. Moreover, many lecturers have graduated from world-famous universities, thus, having a lot of opportunities to experience different methods of teaching and different ways of seating arrangement.
The Dean of the school, Assoc. Le Vu Anh, was one of the first Vietnamese medical workers to study public health in the United States. He has offered good advice on rearranging students in a language lesson to make it more effective. Actually, this has become a practical and necessary demand for a new classroom environment.
LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Aims of the study The study aims at: Reviewing and discussing different teaching styles and seating arrangements. Investigating the effects of seating arrangements on the socio-physical environment of the classroom. Discussing possible seating arrangements for various class activities at Hanoi School of Public Health.
Scope of the study There are various seating arrangements for lecture halls, classrooms and laboratories. However, this study focuses on four basic types of classroom seating arrangements. They are: desk rows, U-shape, modular and circular. The thesis is confined within the investigation and the application of classroom seating arrangements in academic setting at Hanoi School of Public Health with English classes as sample.
Finally, it is ideal to travel to developed countries such as the United States, where different seating arrangements are available, to take photographs, record or videotape some lectures as materials for the research. Due to time constraint, geographical distance, financial difficulty and the scope of a minor thesis, the data used in this study are collected only by conducting survey questionnaires and based on the author‟s observation and experience. Therefore, the thesis should only be regarded as a preliminary study with tentative conclusions. Methods of the study The theoretical background presents a critical review of different publications.
The source of relevant information comes from books and the Internet. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 The method used for the study is largely quantitative with illustration of tables. The discussions of research findings are based mainly on the statistics of the survey questionnaires. Comments on the statistics come from consultation with the supervisor, discussion with colleagues and the author‟s personal observation as well as her own experience.
Design of the study The study consists of three main parts: Part I: Introduction Part II: Development – This part includes the following chapters. Chapter I: Literature review Chapter II: Methodology Chapter III: Findings and discussions Part III: Conclusion LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 5 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW I. What nonverbal communication? The term “non-verbal” is commonly used to describe all events of human communication that transcend spoken or written words. According to Knapp (1980), nonverbal communication should not be studied as an isolated unit but as an inseparable part of the total communication process.
Nonverbal communication may serve to repeat, contradict, substitute for, complement or elaborate on, accent or emphasize, or regulate verbal communication. Obviously, nonverbal communication is important because of the role it plays in the total communication system, the tremendous quantity of information cues it gives in any particular situation and because of its use in such fundamental areas of our daily life as politics, medicine, the arts, advertising, television, education, job interviews, and courtship. It has been said, for example, that when we receive contradictory messages on verbal and nonverbal levels, we are more likely to trust the nonverbal message. It is assumed that nonverbal signals are more spontaneous, harder to fake and less apt to be manipulated.
It has also been speculated that those who prefer nonverbal cues over verbal ones show a right-brain dominance. Estimates have it that, in a normal two-person conversation, the verbal components carry less than 35 per cent of social meaning of the situation; more than 65 per cent of the social meaning is carried on the nonverbal level. According to Knapp (1980: 4-21), the theoretical writings and research on nonverbal communication can be divided into the following seven areas: Kinesics or body motion Physical characteristics (including physique or body shape, general attractiveness, clothing) LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 6 Touching behaviour or haptics (tactile communication is probably the most basic or primary – as ) Paralanguage (including voice qualities and vocalizations) Proxemics (the study of the use and perception of social and personal space) Artifacts (including the use of objects such as jewellery and cosmetics and other decorations that may serve as nonverbal stimuli) The environment or environmental factors within which the interaction occurs. Nguyen Quang (2001:19) has a clear and sufficient classification of nonverbal communication as stated in the following diagram: COMMUNICATION Verbal communication Nonverbal communication Intralanguage Paralanguage Extralanguage - Lexicon - Vocal characteristics: - Rules of grammar + Pitch + Volume - Rules of phonetics + Rate - Rules of language + Vocal quality use and interaction - Types of vocal flow skills - Vocal interferences -… - Silence/Pauses -… Body language/Kinesics Object language/Artifacts Environmental language - Eye contact - Clothing - Setting (seating - Facial expressions - Jewellery arrangement included) - Physical characteristics - Accessories - Conversational - Gestures - Make-up distance/Proxemics - Postures - Time/Chronemics - Artificial scents - Lighting system - Body movements - Gift - Colour - Touch/Haptics/Tactile - Flowers - Heat - ….
LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Classroom communication styles and classroom seating arrangements Seating arrangements are a main part in a teacher‟s plan for classroom management. Not only do the teachers need to consider the physical arrangement of the room but also the nature of the students involved. Arranging the physical environment of the room should be taken into consideration so that teaching and learning can occur as efficiently as possible.
The teacher needs to be able to walk around the room without the students having to move their desks. The teacher needs to take into account that students seated in the center or front of the classroom tend to interact more frequently with the teacher and the number of behavioral problems tend to increase as the students sit farther from the teacher. Also, students in the back and corners of the room are more likely to be off task than those close to the front or to the teacher‟s desk. There are many seating arrangements that the teachers can use.
Each type of classroom arrangement has both advantages and disadvantages. To make the lesson most effective, the teacher should fit the teaching style with the appropriate arrangement of students. Teaching styles Hativa (2000) lists the following skills of teachers: • Examine, interpret, and share learning; • Understand how students learn; • Learn the knowledge in their field; • Conduct research on learning and teaching; • Share their experiences. Additionally, an effective teacher also understands how to promote a love for self- learning in students.
Bess (2000: 53) argues that “student preferences for teaching strategies are for active and challenging learning, where they are involved, where learning is connected to real life, and where there are opportunities for mutual responsibility”. Scott-Webber, Marini, and Abraham (2000) have divided possible teacher-student relationships into different types of communication styles.