INTRODUCTION
Rationale
According to Negi(2009, page 101) “Communication, which is used in everyday life from greeting a stranger to touching a lover, is an ongoing process of sending and receiving messages that enables human to share knowledge, ideas, thoughts, information, feelings, emotions, and attitudes” There are two kinds of communication: Verbal communication and non-verbal communication which are simultaneously used in interaction In the past, linguists focused more on studying verbal communication However, nowadays non-verbal communication is considered to be equally important for effective face to face interaction Non-verbal communication uses wide diversities of non-linguistic cues such as hand gestures, body movement, postures simultaneously with linguistic ones Clearly, hand gestures, body movements, postures of teachers in class play an important role in the support of teaching content and skills People in various cultures have same understanding of non-verbal cues; however, the total meaning of speech can be culturally determined and differ in diverse countries Therefore, misinterpretations of non-verbal cues may happen American and Vietnamese teachers have different hand gestures, body movements and postures in class in order to make an effective lesson As a result, the research “An American-Vietnamese cross-cultural study of hand gestures, body movements and postures of teachers in class” is conducted to help Vietnamese students avoid culture shocks and communication breakdown.
Aims of the study
The thesis aims to point out the similarities and differences in the performance of hand gestures, body movements and postures of American and Vietnamese teachers in the classroom In addition, the researcher wishes to find out the frequency of hand gestures, body movements and postures performed by American and Vietnamese teachers in class.
Scope of the study
The study is confined to only hand gestures, body movements and postures performed by American and Vietnamese teachers in class.
Methodology
This study uses quantitative method based on data analysis to generate reliability Additionally, contrastive analysis is also employed All the information, comments and findings in this thesis are followed by the following methods:
Reference to relevant home and foreign publications in both primary and secondary research,
Statistic, descriptions, and analysis of the collected and selected data,
Discussions with Vietnamese and foreign colleagues.
Design of the study
The study is designed with five chapters: The first chapter introduces the study The second chapter involves 2 parts: Part one is related to the theoretical background of culture and nonverbal communication The definitions, features and classification of body movements, hand gestures and postures are provided in part two In addition, similarities and differences in the performance of hand gestures, body movements and postures in different cultures and their causes are also discussed A detailed description of typical gestures is also made Chapter 3 mentions the methodology of the study Chapter 4 involves the results of the survey and the detailed comparison of using hand gestures, body movements and postures between Vietnamese and American teachers The last chapter is the conclusion which summarizes the study.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Literature review
As Harrison and Huntington note, the term “culture” of course, has had different meanings in different disciplines and different contexts” (Harrison and Huntington, (2000:xv) By stating “culture is human - made part of environment,”
Lonner and Malpass (1994: 7) contrast culture and nature In their ideas, things in environment will never become cultural without the “human touch”
According to Triandis (1994:23) “culture” is a set of human-made objective and subjective elements that in the past increased the probability of survival and resulted in satisfaction for the participants in an ecological niche, and this became shared among those who could communicate with each other because they had a common language and they lived in the same time and place “The subjective elements of cultures here are elements such as values, attitudes, beliefs, orientations and underlying assumptions prevalent among people in a society” All of these elements act as a framework that influences your interpretation of the world and interactions in it
There have been many definitions of “Communication” with different aspects Larry Porter and McDaniel (2006: 12) select the all-encompassing definition of human communication as “the process through which symbols are transmitted for purpose of eliciting a response” Lustig (1996: 29) defines communication as “a symbol” which may be “a word, action or object” containing thoughts, perceptions or feelings a person wants t communicate with others
It is clear in the definition of Hybels, and Weaver (1992: 5) that
“communication is any process in which people share information, ideas and feelings that involve not only the spoken and written words but also body language, personal mannerisms and style, the surrounding and things that add meaning to a message.”
Among the above definitions of “communication”, the one by Hybels and
Weaver (1992) is the most comprehensive and persuading As Nguyen Quang (F:
29), believes that it indicates the action, interaction and transaction nature of communication; specifying the characteristics of communication, the means to carry our communication and various levels of communication
People communicate with each other in a number of ways that depend upon the message and its context in which it is being sent Choice of communication channel and your style of communicating also affects communication So, there are variety of types of communication
Types of communication based on the communication channels used are:
The relationship between culture and communication is often related to the bond between the voice and the echo From culture and communication, there are three branches of communication as follows:
Intra-cultural communication is the communication between people who live in the same country and come from the same cultural background
Inter-cultural communication is the communication between people who live in the same or different countries and come from different cultural backgrounds
Cross-cultural communication is the study of communication by different people who come from different cultural backgrounds
1.4 Non-verbal communication 1.4.1 Definition of nonverbal communication
According to Lustig(1996: 187-188) “nonverbal communication is a multi-channeled process that is usually performed simultaneously Nonverbal behaviors can become part of the communication process when someone intentionally tries to convey a message or when someone attributes meaning to nonverbal behavior of another, whether or not the person intends to communicate a particular process.”
Nguyen Quang (2004) defined: “all the components of the message that, when taken together, constitute the communication which is not verbally coded but both vocally and non-vocally channeled Nonverbal communication is composed of paralinguistic factors (nonverbal - vocal channel), such as rate, volume, etc., and extra-linguistic factors (nonverbal - non-vocal channel), such as body language (gestures, postures, facial expressions,…) object language (including clothing, jewelry…) and environmental language (proxemics, settings…)”
Argyle, in “Bodily Communication,” points out five crucial roles of non-verbal communication: to express emotions, communicate interpersonal relationships, support verbal interaction, reflect personality and perform rituals, such as greetings and goodbyes Altheimer(2008) identifies how non-verbal communication interacts with verbal communication “We can reinforce, contradict, substitute, complement or emphasize our verbal communication with non-verbal tell someone you love them but you avoid eye contact, it is a contrast If you have a bright smile when you say congratulations, this reinforces the sincerity of your words.”
Nguyen Quang(2001: 19) believes that nonverbal communication is realized by the following means:
Hand gestures, body movements and postures
In chapter 5 of the book “Navy Instructional Theory” (1992) Commanding officer Netpmsa defines “A gesture is a natural movement of any part of the body that conveys a thought or emotion or reinforces oral expression” Your gestures will convey whether your personality is strong, calm or gentle rely on a large extent
Netpmsa(1992: 63 ) believes that “Regardless of your personality, gestures will add to the effectiveness of your speech if you relax your shoulders, arms, and hands, and concentrate on communicating to the audience the meaning and importance of your ideas.” When someone has natural gestures, it will work However, when a
- Vocal characteristics + Pitch + Volume + Rate + Vocal quality
- Heat communicator performs an artificial gesture, it will detract When speaking, teachers who practice spontaneous gestures to illustrate more for words will arise naturally from enthusiasm and conviction Descriptive gestures illustrate an action
Use your hands to convey a message, such as a “V” formed with two fingers is consider as a symbol of victory
Hand gestures are a effective way denoting what one person is saying
However, a gesture performs distinctive meanings in different cultures These gestures are most useful when two people who come from different countries with different language communicate together The meaning of hand gestures in each culture has particular meaning
Thumbs up and Thumbs down
Although “Thumb-up” sign is recognized as approval or agreement in
English speaking countries, it is actually used as an insult in Bangladesh In certain parts of the Middle East, thumb-up is definitely a highly offensive People have been confused about this sign for a long time Shalint Verma(2005: 59) wrote “More recently, it is associated with movie reviews, having been popularized by critics
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on their televised review show Siskel & Ebert — the thumb up meaning a positive opinion of a film; the thumb down meaning a negative one.” The trademarked phrase "two thumbs up", originally meaning a positive review from both reviewers, has come to be used as an indication of very high of a thumb up sign It is an indication of something that is bad or something that you do not approve of
( https://vi.scribd.com/document/161126797/Symbol-Gesture ) When someone performs “thumb down” sign, It means something or someone has failed The thumb down sign is not used as much as the thumb up sign because of its negative meaning R Royale (2015) indicated that “Its use is nowhere near as common as the thumbs-up gesture and is seen as a somewhat rude, callous, and arrogant way of indicating failure or disapproval.”
A man giving a thumbs down sign of disapproval
Beckoning gesture (“Come here” gesture)
Beckoning gesture (“Come here” gesture) is a gesture when the hand is extended and the forefinger is then repeatedly curled towards the palm in a hooking motion “In today’s (western) society, the “crooked finger” is seen as a somewhat impolite hand gesture Almost exclusively a superior-to-subordinate (parent-to-child) hand gesture, it has arrogance about it It is also used for summoning a waiter and, is some countries; it is used exclusively for calling-over a prostitute” according to
Umi Pujiyanti & Fatkhunaimah Rhina Zuliani (2014 : 70 ) You may have used it on people more junior to yourself but just try it on your superior and then watch their shocked facial expression
In most of the English-speaking world, as well as in several other countries, this hand gesture means that everything is fine, great , okay and / or perfect
In Brazil, however, it is considered a rude gesture The most famous example of this was in the 1950s when Richard Nixon visited Brazil and flashed the “Ok sign” to a waiting crowd upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro, who responded with boos!
In japan, the “OK sign” means “money” Imagine a Western businessperson giving the “Ok sign” at the end of a successful negotiation The Japanese businessperson might misinterpret this as the American asking for a bride!
This sign has two formats: one with the palm faced outwards, and another with the palm inwards In the US, both ways refer to “victory” and peace: protesters against the Vietnam War and activists adopted the gesture as a sign of peace [32]
Because the hippies of the day often flashed this sign (palm out) while saying
“Peace”, it became popularly known(through association) as the peace sign [31] In other places, such as in the UK, Australia and South Africa, the same gesture with the back of the hand facing the other person is considered to be an extremely insulting [32] A very common example of hand gestures is former President George
W Bush On a visit to Canberra in 1992, George H.W Bush unwittingly insulted a group of locals by giving them the V-sign while riding past in his armored car The gesture might mean “Victory” in America, but it means something radically different in Australia when given with the palm facing inward, as in Bush Senior’s case
Used that way, it’s actually equivalent to the upraised middle finger in the US
The typical pointing with the index finger is a gesture used in many cultures
Some cultures use the middle finger (certain regions of India) Other cultures also point with the thumb, often when referring to something behind the speaker
In Western cultures pointing directly with the index finger at a person is considered rude A more polite way of pointing to a person would be to direct the hand in their direction, as if holding a plate
METHODOLOGY
Method and procedure
In order to set up a firm theoretical background for the study, relevant publications are critically reviewed Information from previous studies is also referred to
The main method used in this study is “quantitive” with the illustration of tables and chart presenting statistic data The analysis is mainly based on the data collected through the survey questionnaires Besides, “contrastive analysis” is also used
Consultation with the supervisor, discussion with colleagues, as well as the author’s personal observation in class and her own experience in cross-cultural communication are also of great help in finding out the answers to the research questions
Discussions with foreigners, overseas students, American teacher and their Vietnamese counterparts are also taken into consideration
The following research questions are raised:
What are the major similarities and differences between American teachers and Vietnamese teachers in their performance of hand gestures, body movement and postures in class?
What are students’ attitudes toward their teachers’ hand gestures, body movement and postures in class?
As the thesis is about to find out the similarities and differences between American teachers and Vietnamese teachers in their performance of hand gestures, body movements and postures in class, the participants in the thesis are native American and Vietnamese teachers of English Ten survey questionnaires for each group are handed out and ten survey questionnaires returned are then analyzed All participants are asked to provide their levels of education and their time of teaching experience which are essential to find out the factors leading similarities and differences In order for data to be reliable, prior to delivering the survey questionnaires, the participants are at first asked to give their permissions to join the survey
The number of American teachers participating in this thesis is ten in all : five male and five female in Hanoi
The number of Vietnamese teachers participating in this thesis is ten in all : five male and five female in Hanoi
The number of Vietnamese students studying with American teachers is twenty in all: ten male and ten female in Hanoi
Twenty is the number of Vietnamese students studying with Vietnamese teacher: ten male and ten female in Hanoi
In order to achieve the aim set out for the study, the thesis comes through three major stages Writing the proposal was the first stage in the process This stage lasted nearly two months from early October to late December, 2015 Then from early January to half of June, the survey questionnaire and personal observation were conducted In the last stage starting from late June to early October in 2016, the results from data analysis were analyzed and results were discussed.
Data collection instruments
The study employs two data collection instruments These are survey questionnaire and observation
According to Mason( cited in Mackey and Gas (2005;175) ) observation method is “method of generating data which involve the researcher immersing (him or herself) in a research setting and systematically observing dimensions of that setting ,interactions, relationships, actions, events, and so on, within it” it is really a useful tool to appreciate behavioral and social acts
Before observations are performed, the researcher take notes of a list of different nonverbal cues and situations in order to follow more easily
For making sure that the presence if observer does not have any big influence on the classroom setting, the researcher attends classes with the role of a non-participant and tries to minimize her attendance by sitting in the back of the classes The camera is also placed at the back position of the classes to avoid students’ attention
The data collected from observations is used to clarify the questions raised in the survey questionnaires
Survey questionnaire was the major data collection instrument employed in this thesis The thesis aimed to investigate the similarities and differences in producing hand gestures, body movements and postures by native speakers of English and those of Vietnamese
Therefore, the delivered questionnaires are written in English and Vietnamese with equal values The questionnaire includes two parts The first part focused on personal information about the participants The second part of the questionnaire provides situations which require the participants’ answers.
Data analysis method
After being collected, the data is statistically analyzed using quantitative method The findings are mainly based on frequency distribution The overview of results in each group is recorded in table containing numbers of participants choosing this form and the equivalent percentage.
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Frequencies
Always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never
Table 1: Frequencies of using hand gesture by American and Vietnamese teachers of
We can see from the table that very few people “always” use their hand gestures in class Although “V” gesture brings a positive meaning, it is not the tool that teachers use to transfer what they mean for their students 60 % of American teachers and 70% Vietnamese teachers never have “V” gesture while they are on duties “Beckoning gesture” and the thumps down are not popular in use for both cultures, 50% Vietnamese and American never implement these action
The most are used by both of the informants are clapping hands and thumb-up Because “thumb-up” gesture illustrates agreement and encouragement so 60% of American and 40% of Vietnamese frequently have this gesture in class
Clapping hands is also common with 50%, 40% American and Vietnamese frequently applied respectively
It can be said the 30% of “Ok sign” is frequently employed by American meanwhile it is ignored by Vietnamese (just 10%) About pointing, Vietnamese and American have the same percentage frequently level usage.(10% always, 40% frequently, 30% sometimes, 20% rarely, 0% never )
Similarities and differences
S1 You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions S2 When student are doing exercises
S3 Students do not understand your points and raise questions S4 Students are answering your questions
Figure 1: Hand gestures by American teachers of English in specific situations
It can be said that in situation one of figure 1 most of gestures are employed by American teachers and the most common gestures are “thumb up” and
“pointing” meanwhile American teachers rarely use hand gestures when students are doing exercises in class When students do not understand your points and raise questions, American teachers mainly use “pointing” gesture and also implement
“thump down” gesture but they do not employed “Ok sign” “Clapping hands”,
“ Ok sign” and “thump up” are use to encourage student when students are answering the questions while there are no “V gesture”, “pointing” and “Thump down” in this situation
S1 You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions S2 When student are doing exercises
S3 Students do not understand your points and raise questions S4 Students are answering your questions
Figure 2: Hand gestures by Vietnamese teachers of English in specific situations
In contrast, Vietnamese teachers usually use “OK sign” in situation one while just 10% people employed this gesture in the rest three situations When students are doing exercises in class, “V gesture”, “pointing” and “thumb down” are implemented by Vietnamese teachers When students do not understand teachers and raise questions, Vietnamese informants also use “Pointing” gestures most in order to clarify knowledge transferred meanwhile “Thumb up” and “clapping hand” are never employed in this situation.
Students' attitudes
We can see from the data that most of the students are really interested in some common hand gestures carrying positive meanings such as the “OK sign”,
“the thumb up” and “clapping hands” best (about 75-85%) and no one is against them They also like the “V gesture” but their teachers never or rarely maintain it with them In addition, the “thumb down” which carries the negative meaning is not supported by most of the students (just 10% feel OK, the rest of 90% goes to do not really like(80%) and hate (10%)
Some students do not feel pleasant when their teachers use the “thumb
Hate 0% 0% 0% 10% 35% 5% 0% down”, “pointing” and “beckoning gestures” Perhaps these hand gestures are the negative gestures, meanwhile pointing and beckoning carry a neutral meaning in America “Pointing” and “beckoning” can be normally used by the older people to call the younger people The students show their disagreements with “beckoning”
They may be affected by their cultural traditional belief Moreover, most of the students say that they cannot interpret exactly what their native teachers mean until they see their teachers' gestures Also, they are more interested in lectures with using gestures than without ones The students consider their teachers' hand gestures as means of explaining lessons, responding positively to the students, as well as managing the class
Frequencies
Table 2: Frequencies of using body movements by American and Vietnamese teachers of English
Body movements at frequently level has the highest percentage with 40%,
Body movements Frequencies Always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never
Stay put in the podium 20% 0% 30% 60% 30% 10% 10% 10% 10% 20%
Pacing back and forth on the podium 20% 20% 40% 40% 20% 20% 20% 20% 0% 0%
Go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30 cms
Go from the board to the back of the classroom 10% 10% 50% 20% 20% 30% 10% 10% 10% 20%
60% Vietnamese teachers and 40%, 50% American teachers in class 60%
Vietnamese frequently “stay put in the podium” and 40% “Pacing back and forth on the podium” meanwhile American just have 30% and 40% However, “Go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms” and “walking around class” are most carried by American with 50% In the researcher bservations, American implemented these body movements with view to be closer to their students to get information more exactly and transfer their knowledge more easily Both Vietnamese and American share the same frequency of employing the body movement “Pacing back and forth on the podium”, 20% always, 40% frequently, 20% sometimes, 20% rarely and 0% never When students do not understand their teachers’ points and raise questions, Americans tend to “go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms” (50% frequently)
Other body movements are also used up by American informants for example, 50% frequently “go from the board to the back of the classroom”
It is easy to see from the table, Vietnamese teacher do not use much body movements in order to not distract their students whether American utilize all body movements to make their students understands what they said.
Similarities and differences
S1 You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions S2 When student are doing exercises
S3 Students do not understand your points and raise questions S4 Students are answering your questions
Figure 3: body movements by American teachers of English in specific situations
In the first situation, All body movements are used up especially “pacing back and forth on the podium” and “stay put in the podium” by American informants When students are doing exercises, Teachers mostly use all body movements but “Go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms” because they do not want to distract their students, the movement that is employed most in this situation is “Go from the board to the back of the classroom”
When students do not understand your points and raise questions, American tend to
“go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms”
Other body movements are also employed in this third situation but “stay put in the podium” is not implemented In general, in the first three situations, most of body movements are used to transfer what the teachers mean However, in the situation four, when students are answering the questions, American informants rarely use body movements “Stay put in the podium”, “Walking around classroom”, “Go from the board to the back of the classroom” are implemented but little
S1 You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions S2 When student are doing exercises
S3 Students do not understand your points and raise questions S4 Students are answering your questions
Figure 4: body movements by Vietnamese teachers of English in specific situations
Most of body movements are carried out in situation one when teachers are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions “Pacing back and forth on the podium and stay put in the podium” are performed much in situation one but never occur in situation two In contrast, “Walking around classroom” are employed maximally when student are doing exercises When students do not understand your points and raise questions, Vietnamese teachers usually go toward students and “Go from the board to the back of the classroom” The rest body movements are distributed in all situations equally.
Students' attitudes
Stay put in the podium
Pacing back and forth on the podium
Go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms
Go from the board to the back of the classroom
About body movements, Most of the students feel OK with these body movements above However, some students are not interested in some body movement like “stay put in the podium” (30% don’t really like and 10% hate this movement) They suppose that this body movement creates boredom in lesson.”Go from the board to the back of the classroom” is also not encouraged because according some students it sometimes causes distraction (30% don’t really like and 10% hate this movement) In contrast, “Walking around classroom” and “Go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms” seems to be loved by students 90%, 100% students feel really like, like and OK with
“Walking around classroom” and “Go toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms” respectively Students have feeling that they are cared when teachers have these body movements According most of Vietnamese students, they like teacher going around and interact with them rather than sitting or standing a place.
POSTURES
Table 3: Frequencies of using postures by American and Vietnamese teachers of English
40% “frequently” level of hands on hip is applied by American meanwhile
Vietnamese have 20% of this level that means this posture is familiar with American more than Vietnamese Americans sometimes implement “putting hands in pockets” posture while Vietnamese are not familiar with this 50% Vietnamese never use this posture when they are in class while 60% American sometimes apply
However, some Vietnamese teachers (20%) put their hands in pockets as a habit
“Hands joined behind back” is employed by 60% American which is two times higher than Vietnamese at frequently level This movement seems to be a habit of some Vietnamese people but it also rarely applied by someone (30% frequently and
Frequency Always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never
Leaning against the wall/board 0% 20% 10% 10% 30% 10% 40% 10% 20% 50%
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body 10% 20% 20% 40% 20% 30% 10% 10% 40% 0%
About “Leaning back in a chair”, only 20% the American informants surveyed rarely lean back in a chair while 60% of them frequently do that The rest of 20% of the informants always(10%) or sometimes(10%) or never(0%) perform this postures In contrasts, 30% Vietnamese frequently lean their back in a chair and (10% ) sometimes (20%) rarely (40%) never
The similarity can be seen from the table is that “Hand-on-hand”,
“Ankle-lock”, “feet on desk” are not the first choice of all the informants “Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students” is frequently or sometimes implemented by Vietnamese
(40% frequently and 40% sometimes) but American (20% frequently and 20% sometimes)
Figure 5:Postures by American teachers of English in specific situations
In the situation one, postures are usually used especially “Hands joined behind back, Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body” However,
American teachers do not implement “Leaning back in a chair”, “Feet on desk”,
“Arm-cross” in this situation During the test in class, teachers use all postures with higher density than situation one, especially “Putting hands in pockets”,
“Leg-cross”, “Arm-cross” are used most but not “feet on desk”
When students do not understand your points and raise questions, teachers mainly use “Hand on hip” Other postures are rarely occurs and we can see there are no “Leg-cross”, “Leaning back in a chair”, “Leaning against the wall/board”
In contrast with situation three, American teachers perform a lot of postures in situation four The postures that are mainly implemented are “Leaning against the wall/board”, “Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students” Teachers do not put “Hands on hip”, “Putting hands in pockets”, “Leaning back in a chair”, “Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body” when students are doing their presentations
S1 You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions S2 When student are doing exercises
S3 Students do not understand your points and raise questions S4 Students are answering your questions
Figure 6: Postures by Vietnamese teachers of English in specific situations
In the situation one, Vietnamese teachers use “Putting hands in pockets” most and never implement “Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body”, other postures are also performed When students are doing exercises in class, it seems to be that most of postures are used up especially “Hands on hip”,
“Hands joined behind back” and “Arm-cross” Vietnamese teachers usually employed “Hands on hip”, “Leaning against the wall/board”, “Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body” postures when students do not understand your points and raise questions “Feet on desk” and “Putting hands in pockets” never occurs in situation two and three When students are answering the questions teachers also performed various postures and the most are: “Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students”, “Leg-cross”, “Arm-cross”
Leaning against the wall/board
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body
Arm- cross Hand-on-hand Ankle- lock
The data has shown that students feel more comfortable with relaxed postures of the teachers 60%, 50% students feel OK with the posture “hand on hip” and “putting hands in pockets” Under the traditional influences 40% to 50% students feel OK with the formal postures like “Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body” , “Arm-Cross”, “Hand-on-hand” and “Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students” However, 40% students don’t really like these postures Perhaps students do not have excitement with formal postures From the research observation, students tend to like the American teachers’ lesson because of the openness and relaxation The posture “Feet on desk” seems to be hated by Vietnamese students (70%) when it shows offensive and impolite meaning in Vietnam culture Some students show their boredom with the lesson of Vietnamese teacher when a lot of formal postures are carried out in class.
CONCLUSION
Recapitulation
As evidenced from the previous chapter, different hand gestures, postures and body movements of American and Vietnamese teachers when interacting with their students Findings are discussed and possible reasons why teachers from the two countries adopt different nonverbal patterns are offered
Firstly, hand gestures - an effective supplementing tool for communication is used much more by the American teachers than their Vietnamese counterparts It might be because the American teachers want to make double sure that their students understand what they say by performing more hand gestures while the Vietnamese teachers limit their hand performance in order not to distract their students However, no gesture has universal meaning across cultures Students still have some different interpretations when teachers of both cultures use familiar and similar gestures even these gestures are not misunderstood by them Also, the pointing gesture used by the American teachers means performing anger or superiority, but for some Vietnamese students, it is just a signal of calling students to do their duties in class Besides, the American teachers consider beckoning gesture as a tool to get others’ attention, while their Vietnamese students consider it rude and as calling animals
Body movements attract the attention of the listener because the eye instinctively follows moving objects and focuses on them Movement can assist teachers to convey ideas to their students From the data analyzed, we can see American teachers perform more body movements than Vietnamese teachers
Vietnamese teachers tend to remain on the podium and go from the board to the back of the classroom more than walking round the class, going toward students and stand in front of students with the distance of 30cms However, American teachers want to understand clearly what students say so they often walk around and go forward to students to transfer knowledge and get information Vietnamese Students seem to be more interested in their foreign teachers’ performance because these body movements reveal that the teachers are more enthusiastic in teaching
It is found that the American teachers perform relaxed postures more frequently and defensive and formal postures less frequently than the Vietnamese teachers The Americans believe that people who keep their hands and arms still or very close to their bodies are “too stiff” “too formal”, “up-right” or “too polite” The American teachers find it unnecessary to be too formal during their teaching but relaxed postures like putting hands in the pocket, or hands on hips as somehow impolite and should not surely be performed in many cases It might be the case that the American teachers focus more on informality and encourage their students with relaxed postures The researcher’s observations seem to suggest that the Vietnamese students feel more comfortable and open to communication with their American teachers and readily take part in different activities organized by them because their teachers are more relaxed with their own nonverbal performance.
Implications
After analyzing the data collected, the researcher comes up with the following implications:
Hand gestures, body movements and postures play an importance role in class interactions However, teachers sometimes outperform their gestures and movements that distracts their students Therefore, awareness of nonverbal communication and cultural context should be raised to teachers in order to improve their teaching
Moreover hand gestures, body movements and postures can also be used as effective means of managing classes
Here are some tips that can help teachers can use hand gestures, body movements and postures effectively:
Try to find out the differences of nonverbal communication habits between two these cultures and practice more For example, American teachers tend to use more relaxed postures and have more body movements in class meanwhile Vietnamese teachers limit their body movements in class and have formal postures
Do not use what are believed to be the social norms in nonverbal communication to interpret what others mean and judge their behavior For example, Vietnamese may have used “come here” gesture on people more junior to themselves but American just use this gesture to call someone.
Limitations
The study primarily collects data from survey questionnaires The data mostly reveals the subjective points of view of the informants Some tick it out carelessly and give conflicting information Besides, the participants mainly focus on the multiple choice questions and do not seem to pay attention to the open-ended questions Interviews on both teachers and students are believed to be necessary to support analysis and discussion of data collected Finally, this study just focuses on body language (Hand gestures, body movements and postures) Other types of nonverbal behavior such as extra language (object language, environmental language, ) and paralanguage (vocal characteristics, silence, ) are still left unexplored.
Suggestions for further study
- Object language and environmental language be further studied for effective language teaching
- Larger population be involved for more reliable findings
- Interviews be conducted for better discussion of findings
More researches should be implemented into the theme to provide useful references for Vietnamese teachers and students of English in getting to understand more about American culture and people
Any suggestions and contributions made to the writer’s study from colleagues, teachers and friends for the sake of better improvement in the writer’s study on related topics will be highly appreciates
1 Adapted from information in Axtell, R E (1998) Gestures: The do’s and taboos of body language around the world New York: John Wiley
2 Argyle, M (1988) Bodily communication (2 nd ed.) London, England: Methuen
3 Beisler, F., Scheeres, H., & Pinner, D (1997) Communication Skills 2 nd Edition
LoKramsch, Claire (1998) Language and culture Oxford University Press.ngman
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1 Nguyễn Quang, (2002) Giao tiếp và giao tiếp giao văn hóa, NXB Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội
2 Nguyễn Quang, (2004) Một số vấn giao tiếp nội văn hóa giao văn hóa NXB Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội
3 Nguyễn Quang (Sắp xuất bản) Giao tiếp phi ngôn từ qua các nền văn hóa
1.http://www.livestrong.com/article/143115-4-key-characteristics-nonverbal-comm unication/
2 "Victory Hand" emojipedia.org Emojipedia.org
3 https://vi.scribd.com/document/161126797/Symbol-Gesture
(FOR VIETNAMESE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH)
I am Tran Thị Xuan, an M.A student from the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
This survey questionnaire is designed for my research entitled “AN AMERICAN-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF
HAND GESTURES, BODY MOVEMENTS AND POSTURES OF TEACHERS IN CLASS” Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated You can be confident that this questionnaire is for research purpose only, and that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data
Thank you very much for your kind cooperation!
Time you have been in Vietnam:
Time of your teaching experience in Vietnam:
1 How often do you perform these gestures when interacting with your students? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
The “V” gesture Pointing gesture Clapping hands The Thumb down Beckoning gesture
2 Do you perform these gestures in the following situations? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Other gestures that you often perform in class:
1 How often do you perform these postures when interacting with your students? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions
When student are doing exercises.
Students do not understand your points and raise questions
Students are answering your questions.
2 Do you perform these postures in the following situations? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Putting your hands in your pockets
Hands joined behind your back
Leaning back in a chair, if seated
Feet on desk if seated
Leaning against the wall/ board
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body
Putting your hands in your pockets
Hands joined behind your back
Leaning back in a chair, if seated
Feet on desk, if seated
Leaning against the wall/ board
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body
You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions
When student are doing exercises.
Students do not understand your points and raise questions
Students are answering your questions.
1 How often do you perform these body movements when interacting with your students? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Standing fixed on the podium
Walking to and fro on the podium
Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student
Walking to and fro along the classroom
2 Do you perform these body movements in the following situations? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Standing fixed on the podium
Walking to and fro on the podium
Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student
Walking to and fro along the classroom
You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions
When student are doing exercises.
Students do not understand your points and raise questions
Students are answering your questions.
Other body movements that you often perform in class:
(FOR AMERICAN TEACHERS OF ENGLISH)
I am Tran Thị Xuan, an M.A student from the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
This survey questionnaire is designed for my research entitled “AN AMERICAN-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF
HAND GESTURES, BODY MOVEMENTS AND POSTURES OF TEACHERS IN CLASS” Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated You can be confident that this questionnaire is for research purpose only, and that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data
Thank you very much for your kind cooperation!
Time you have been in Vietnam:
Time of your teaching experience in Vietnam:
1 How often do you perform these gestures when interacting with your students? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
The “V” gesture Pointing gesture Clapping hands The Thumb down Beckoning gesture
2 Do you perform these gestures in the following situations? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Other gestures that you often perform in class:
1 How often do you perform these postures when interacting with your students? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions
When student are doing exercises.
Students do not understand your points and raise questions
Students are answering your questions.
2 Do you perform these postures in the following situations? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Putting your hands in your pockets
Hands joined behind your back
Leaning back in a chair, if seated
Feet on desk if seated
Leaning against the wall/ board
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body
Putting your hands in your pockets
Hands joined behind your back
Leaning back in a chair, if seated
Feet on desk, if seated
Leaning against the wall/ board
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body
You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions
When student are doing exercises.
Students do not understand your points and raise questions
Students are answering your questions.
1 How often do you perform these body movements when interacting with your students? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Standing fixed on the podium
Walking to and fro on the podium
Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student
Walking to and fro along the classroom
2 Do you perform these body movements in the following situations? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box)
Standing fixed on the podium
Walking to and fro on the podium
Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student
Walking to and fro along the classroom
You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions
When student are doing exercises.
Students do not understand your points and raise questions
Students are answering your questions.
Other body movements that you often perform in class:
Xin chào Bạn, Tôi là Trần Thị Xuân, học viên cao học khóa 23 khoa Sau Đại học, trường Đại học
Ngoại ngữ - Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội
Phiếu khảo sát này được thiết kế nhằm giúp nghiên cứu việc sử dụng cử chỉ, tư thế và chuyển động của giáo viên trong lớp học Rất mong Bạn dành thời gian trả lời các câu hỏi sau đây một cách trung thực nhất Mọi thông tin mà Bạn đưa ra trong phiếu điều tra sẽ chỉ phục vụ cho mục đich nghiên cứu và danh tính của Bạn sẽ được giữ bí mật hoàn toàn
Xin chân thành cảm ơn Bạn !
Trình độ tiếng Anh của Bạn hiện nay:
I HAND GESTURES (Cử chỉ tay) - viết kí hiệu A đối với GV người Mỹ, V đối với
GV người Việt vào cột thích hợp
1 Giáo viên của Bạn thường sử dụng những loại cử chỉ nào khi tương tác trên lớp?
The Ring (OK) gesture (Kí kiệu
The “V” gesture (Kí hiệu chữ V)
The thumb up (Giơ ngón cái)
The thumb down (Chúc ngón cái)
2 Bạn nghĩ cử chỉ của giáo viên sử dụng khi tương tác trên lớp nhằm mục đích gì?
(Bạn có thể chọn nhiều hơn 1 ý kiến)
A Khích lệ, động viên bạn
B Chỉ trích khi Bạn mắc lỗi
C Giúp giáo viên truyền tải thông tin dễ dàng hơn
3 Giáo viên của Bạn còn sử dụng loại cử chỉ nào khác khi giao tiếp trên lớp không?
Nếu có, xin Bạn nêu rõ:
4 Bạn có thích các cử chỉ đó không? Tại sao?
Cử chỉ tay (Hand gestures)
(Kí kiệu OK) The “V” gesture
The Thumb up (Giơ ngón cái) The Thumb down (Chúc ngón cái)
Beckoning gesture (Vẫy gọi) Clapping hands (Vỗ tay)
II POSTURES (Tư thế ) - viết ký hiệu A đối với giáo viên người Mỹ, V đối với giáo viên người Việt vào cột thích hợp
Hands on hip (Đặt tay lên hông)
Putting hands in pockets (Đút tay vào túi quần)
Hands joined behind His/her back (Chắp tay sau lưng)
Leanin g back in a chair, if seated (Ngả lưng vào thành ghế)
Feet on desk if seated (Đặt chân lên bàn)
Leaning against the wall/boar d (Dựa lưng vào tường/ bảng)
Leg-cr oss (Bắt chéo chân
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward the students
(Ngồi gọn gàng, hai chân khép lại, hơi hướng về phía trước, hai tay đặt lên bàn, mặt hướng về học sinh)
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body (Đứng thẳng người, hai cánh tay buông thẳng sát người)
Hand- on-han d (Đặt tay lên tay)
Ankle-loc k (Vắt chéo chân)
1 Bạn nghĩ tư thế mà giáo viên sử dụng khi tương tác trên lớp nhằm mục đích gì? (Bạn có thể chọn nhiều hơn 1 ý kiến)
Chỉ trích khi Bạn mắc lỗi
C Giúp giáo viên truyền tải thông tin dễ dàng hơn
2 Giáo viên của Bạn còn sử dụng tư thế nào khác khi giao tiếp trên lớp không? Nếu có, xin Bạn nêu rõ:
Rất thích Thích Bình thường Không thích Ghét Tại sao?
Putting your hands in your pockets (Đút tay vào túi quần)
Hands joined behind his/her back (Chắp tay sau lưng)
Leaning back in a chair (Ngả lưng vào thành ghế)
Feet on desk (Đặt chân lên bàn)
Leaning against the wall/board
Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face tunred toward the students
(Ngồi gọn gàng, hai chân khép lại, hơi hướng về phía trước, hai tay đặt lên bàn, mặt hướng về học sinh)
Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body (Đứng thẳng người, hai cánh tay buông thẳng sát người)
Hand-on-hand(Đặt tay lên tay)
Ankle-lock (Vắt chéo chân)
III BODY MOVEMENTS (Chuyển động thân thể) - viết kí hiệu A đối với GV người Mỹ, V đối với GV người Việt vào cột thích hợp
1 Giáo viên của Bạn thường sử dụng những chuyển động nào khi tương tác trên lớp?
2 Bạn nghĩ các chuyển động mà giáo viên sử dụng khi tương tác trên lớp nhằm mục đích gì? (Bạn có thể chọn nhiều hơn 1 ý kiến)
Body movements (Chuyển động thân thể)
Standing fixed on the podium
(đứng yên trên bục giảng)
Walking round and round (đi đi lại lại dọc theo lớp học)
Walking to and fro on the podium (đi đi lại lại trên bục giảng)
Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student (đi về phía học sinh đứng cách học sinh 30 cm)
Walking to and fro along the classroom (đi từ đầu đến cuối lớp học)