A Phenomenographic Research Study of Students’ Conceptions of Silence in Face-to-Face English as a Foreign Language Learning

Silence is a common phenomenon in language learning where students stay silent, and it is potentially frustrating to instructors and not conducive to the foreign language input and output necessary for ongoing classroom-based language learning. Silence has been investigated initially in the face-to-face classroom and discussed thoroughly over the years. Most studies emphasized the role of verbal interaction in language learning, while silence exists in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts as a part of the interaction. Rare research investigates silence in face-to-face EFL learning contexts using phenomenography to understand students ways of experiencing silence. Therefore, this study aims to explore how Vietnamese undergraduates experience silence in face-to-face EFL learning using phenomenography at a Vietnamese university. Data were conducted through semi-structured interviews with 15 Vietnamese undergraduates analyzed following the phenomenographic principles to identify each conception s referential and structural aspects. Eleven categories were found following five main conceptions of silence, namely, sociocultural dimension, affective dimension, psycho-linguistic dimension, interactive dimension, and individual dimension. The findings illustrate the multilayers and complexities of students silence in face-to-face EFL context and point out new findings to discover potentially in EFL. It implies that silence can be a powerful tool for students learning, so understanding multifaceted students silence will enhance educators pedagogical practices in foreign language teaching and learning. This study also implies that educators should understand students social self and self to create a learning atmosphere for individual differences.