An American-Vietnamese cross-cultural study of hand gestures, body movements and postures of teachers in class

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ XUÂN AN AMERICAN-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF HAND GESTURES, BODY MOVEMENTS AND POSTURES OF TEACHERS IN CLASS NGHIÊN CỨU GIAO THOA VĂN HÓA VIỆT - MỸ VỀ CỬ CHỈ TAY, CHUYỂN ĐỘNG CƠ THỂ VÀ TƯ THẾ CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TRONG LỚP HỌC (M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS) Field: English Linguistics Major Code: 60220201 HA NOI - 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ XUÂN AN AMERICAN-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF HAND GESTURES, BODY MOVEMENTS AND POSTURES OF TEACHERS IN CLASS NGHIÊN CỨU GIAO THOA VĂN HÓA VIỆT - MỸ VỀ CỬ CHỈ TAY, CHUYỂN ĐỘNG CƠ THỂ VÀ TƯ THẾ CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TRONG LỚP HỌC M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Major : English Language (1st Program) Major Code: 60220201 Supervisor: PROF NGUYEN QUANG (Ph.D.) HA NOI - 2016 Acknowledgments I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof Dr Nguyen Quang, without whose valuable comments and guidance, my thesis would not have been accomplished My special thanks go to my dad and my mum And I am immensely grateful to my husband who helps me a lot My sincere thanks also go to all lecturers and staff of the department of Post- Graduate studies for their valuable lessons and precious helps Thanks to their lessons as well as needed helps, I could overcome enormous obstacles when doing the study Finally, I should acknowledge my indebtedness to all my friends for their assistance during the process of preparing for this research Tran Thi Xuan i ABSTRACT It can be said that creating and sustaining an interaction through verbal communication skills is not enough to be successful Non-verbal communication is believed to play a vital role in transferring meaning in communication Heraclitus once said “One’s eyes are more accurate witnesses than ears” Nowadays, more and more researchers believe that communication without spoken and written words can also help people understand other’s behaviors Non-verbal behaviour occurs before verbal communication because individuals depend first on non-verbal means to present themselves This natural character of non-verbal behaviour is important in interaction because before a sentence is conveyed, the hearer follows the body gestures and facial expressions of the speaker, trying to find out these symbolic messages They are trustable because they are mostly spontaneous and parts of every-day behaviour As cultures collide, it is essential for all of us to become more aware of the hand gestures, body movements and postures surrounding us Specially, when we cross over cultural borders, it would be fitting to understand more about the effective nonverbal communication This study is conducted to raise Vietnamese students’ awareness of cross-cultural differences in the use of body language in class for avoidance of culture shock ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments i ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Methodology Design of the study CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Literature review 1 Culture 1.2 Communication? 1.2.1 Definition of communication 1.2.2 Types of communication 1.3 Cross-cultural communication 1.4 Non-verbal communication 1.4.1 Definition of nonverbal communication 1.4.3 Means of nonverbal communication Hand gestures, body movements and postures 2.1 Hand gestures 2.2 Body movements 11 2.3 Postures 13 2.4 Previous related studies 14 2.4.1 In the world 14 2.4.2 In Vietnam 14 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 16 Method and procedure 16 1.1 Research questions 16 1.2 Research participants 16 iii 1.3 Research procedure 17 Data collection instruments 17 2.1 Observation 17 2.2 The survey questionnaires 18 Data analysis method 18 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 19 HAND GUESTURES 19 1.1 Frequencies 19 1.2 Similarities and differences 20 1.3 Students' attitudes 22 2.1 Frequencies 23 2.2 Similarities and differences 24 2.3 Students' attitudes 26 POSTURES 28 3.1 Frequencies 28 3.2 Similarities and differences 29 3.3 Students' attitudes 32 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 34 Recapitulation 34 1.1 Hand gestures 34 1.2 Body movements 34 1.3 Postures 35 Implications 35 Limitations 36 Suggestions for further study 36 References 37 iv CHAPTER 1: 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,  Survey questionaries,  Statistic, descriptions, and analysis of the collected and selected data,  Personal observations and experience,  Consultations with supervisor  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 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 mentions the methodology of the study Chapter 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 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Literature review 1.1 Culture 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 1.2 Communication? 1.2.1 Definition of communication 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 1.2.2 Types 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:  Verbal Communication  Nonverbal Communication 1.3 Cross-cultural communication 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 SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE (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! Please tick (v) where appropriate: Time you have been in Vietnam: Time of your teaching experience in Vietnam: I HAND GESTURES How often you perform these gestures when interacting with your students? (Please tick Gestures The Ring (OK) The Gesture Thumb up Frequency Always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never The “V” gesture Pointing gesture γ in the appropriate box) Clapping hands The Thumb down Beckoning gesture Do you perform these gestures in the following situations? (Please tick Gestures The Ring (OK) gesture The Thumb up The “V” gesture γ in the appropriate box) Pointing gesture Beckoning gesture Clapping hands The Thumb down Situations You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions When student are doing exercises Students not understand your points and raise questions Students are answering your questions Other gestures that you often perform in class: - -II POSTURES How often you perform these postures when interacting with your students? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box) Hands on hip Postures 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 Legcross Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students Frequency Always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never Do you perform these postures in the following situations? (Please tick γ in the appropriate box) Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body Armcross Hand-onhand Ankle-l ock Postures Hands on hip 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 Leg-cro ss Sitting neatly, two legs close, body leaning forward a little, two hands on the desk, face turned toward students Standing Arm-cr upright, oss two arms straight and close to the body Hand-o n-hand Anklelock Situations You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions When student are doing exercises Students not understand your points and raise questions Students are answering your questions Other postures that you often perform in class: III BODY MOVEMENTS How often you perform these body movements when interacting with your students? (Please tick Standing fixed on the podium Body movements Frequency Always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never Walking round and round Walking to and fro on the podium γ in the appropriate box) Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student Walking to and fro along the classroom Do you perform these body movements in the following situations? (Please tick Standing fixed Walking round Body on the podium and round movements γ in the appropriate box) 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 Situations You are lecturing on a topic or giving instructions When student are doing exercises Students not understand your points and raise questions Students are answering your questions Other body movements that you often perform in class: THANK YOU KINDLY! PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT (DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN) Xin chào Bạn, Tôi 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 thiết kế nhằm giúp nghiên cứu việc sử dụng cử chỉ, tư chuyển động giáo viên lớp học Rất mong Bạn dành thời gian trả lời câu hỏi sau cách trung thực Mọi thông tin mà Bạn đưa phiếu điều tra phục vụ cho mục đich nghiên cứu danh tính Bạn giữ bí mật hồn tồn Xin chân thành cảm ơn Bạn ! Thông tin cá nhân Trình độ tiếng Anh Bạn nay: -Elementary - Pre-intermediate - Intermediate - Upper - intermediate - Advanced I HAND GESTURES (Cử tay) - viết kí hiệu A GV người Mỹ, V GV người Việt vào cột thích hợp Giáo viên Bạn thường sử dụng loại cử tương tác lớp? Frequency (Tần suất sử dụng) The Ring (OK) gesture (Kí kiệu OK) The “V” gesture (Kí hiệu chữ V) The thumb up (Giơ Guestures (Cử tay) ngón cái) Pointing gesture (Chỉ trỏ) Beckoning gesture (Vẫy gọi) Clappin g hands (Vỗ tay) The thumb down (Chúc ngón cái) Always (Luôn luôn) Frequently (Thường xuyên) Sometimes (Thỉnh thoảng) Rarely (Hiếm khi) Never (Không bao giờ) Bạn nghĩ cử giáo viên sử dụng tương tác lớp nhằm mục đích gì? (Bạn chọn nhiều ý kiến) A Khích lệ, động viên bạn B Chỉ trích Bạn mắc lỗi C Giúp giáo viên truyền tải thông tin dễ dàng D Ý kiến khác Giáo viên Bạn sử dụng loại cử khác giao tiếp lớp khơng? Nếu có, xin Bạn nêu rõ: Bạn có thích cử khơng? Tại sao? Cử tay Rất (Hand gestures) thích The Ring (OK) gesture (Kí kiệu OK) The “V” gesture (Kí hiệu chữ V) The Thumb up (Giơ ngón cái) The Thumb down (Chúc ngón cái) Pointing gesture (Chỉ trỏ) Beckoning gesture (Vẫy gọi) Clapping hands (Vỗ tay) Thích Bình thường Khơng thích Ghét Tại sao? II POSTURES (Tư ) - viết ký hiệu A giáo viên người Mỹ, V giáo viên người Việt vào cột thích hợp Hands on hip (Đặt tay lên hông) Putting hands in pockets (Đút tay vào túi Tần suất (Frequency) Postures (Tư thế) Frequently (Thường xuyên) Somtimes (Thỉnh thoảng) Rarely (Hiếm khi) 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, hướng phía trước, hai tay đặt lên bàn, mặt hướng học sinh) Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body (Đứng thẳng người, hai cánh tay buông thẳng sát người) Armcross (Khoan h tay) Handon-han d (Đặt tay lên tay) quần) Always (Luôn luôn) Hands joined behind His/her back (Chắp tay sau lưng) Ankle-loc k (Vắt chéo chân) Never (Không bao giờ) Bạn nghĩ tư mà giáo viên sử dụng tương tác lớp nhằm mục đích gì? (Bạn chọn nhiều ý kiến)  Khích lệ, động viên  Chỉ trích Bạn mắc lỗi C Giúp giáo viên truyền tải thông tin dễ dàng D Ý kiến khác Giáo viên Bạn sử dụng tư khác giao tiếp lớp khơng? Nếu có, xin Bạn nêu rõ: Postures Rất thích (Tư thế) Hands on hip (Đặt tay lên hông) 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 (Dựa lưng vào tường/bảng) Thích Bình thường Khơng thích Ghét Tại sao? Leg-cross (Bắt chéo chân) 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, hướng phía trước, hai tay đặt lên bàn, mặt hướng học sinh) Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body (Đứng thẳng người, hai cánh tay buông thẳng sát người) Arm-cross (Khoanh tay) Hand-on-hand(Đặt tay lên tay) Ankle-lock (Vắt chéo chân) III BODY MOVEMENTS (Chuyển động thân thể) - viết kí hiệu A GV người Mỹ, V GV người Việt vào cột thích hợp Giáo viên Bạn thường sử dụng chuyển động tương tác lớp? Frequency (Tần suất ) Body movements (Chuyển động thân thể) Standing fixed on the podium (đứng yên bục giảng) Walking round and round (đi lại lại dọc theo lớp học) Walking to and fro on the podium (đi lại lại bục giảng) Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student (đi phía học sinh đứng cách học sinh 30 cm) Walking to and fro along the classroom (đi từ đầu đến cuối lớp học) Always (Luôn luôn) Frequently (Thường xuyên) Somtimes (Thỉnh thoảng) Rarely (Hiếm khi) Never (Không bao giờ) Bạn nghĩ chuyển động mà giáo viên sử dụng tương tác lớp nhằm mục đích gì? (Bạn chọn nhiều ý kiến) E Khích lệ, động viên F Thể quyền lực giám sát G Giúp giáo viên truyền tải thông tin tương tác với học sinh dễ dàng H Ý kiến khác Giáo viên Bạn sử dụng chuyển động khác giao tiếp lớp khơng? Nếu có, xin Bạn nêu rõ Bạn có thích chuyển động khơng? Tại sao? Chuyển động Rất thích Thích Bình thường Khơng thích Ghét Tại sao? (body movements) Standing fixed on the podium(đứng yên bục giảng) Walking round and round (đi xung quanh lớp học) Walking to and fro on the podium (đi lại lại bục giảng) Coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30 cms) from the nearest student(đi phía học sinh đứng cách học sinh 30 cm) Walking to and fro along the classroom (đi từ đầu đến cuối lớp học) CẢM ƠN SỰ HỢP TÁC CỦA BẠN