The Importance of Nonverbal Communication in Education

According to psychologist James Deese¹, a certain level of understanding needs to occur in order to reach interpretation. When communicating with others, we often think of words. However, according to Dr. Dustin York, an Assistant Professor of Communication at Maryville University in Missouri, 93 percent of communication is nonverbal². If the overwhelming majority of what is communicated is without words, then it is essential to understand, and appreciate, how nonverbal communication contributes to effective communication. This is especially true in the learning environment, as research suggests nonverbal messages are often more significant in student learning than formal instruction³.

An instructor, while focused on what he or she is speaking, must also be aware of what they are communicating, and what his or her students are interpreting, nonverbally. Conversely, if an instructor can interpret what his or her students are communicating nonverbally, he or she can adapt to the student’s needs and varying learning styles, to facilitate a better learning environment.  

Body language is sometimes used as broad term to describe all communication that is nonverbal. However, there are several categories and subcategories of nonverbal communication that have been studied and researched, such as eye contact, facial expression, posture, gestures, paralinguistics, proximity, and appearance, among others. Some of the nonverbal communicators that may be significant within the classroom setting are proxemics, kinesics, eye contact, paralinguistic behavior, and appearance.

The term proxemics was coined by anthropology professor Dr. Edward T. Hall as the study of the use of a person’s space⁴. This may encompass anything from personal space to arrangement of the furniture in a classroom or even the architecture of the building. Spatial arrangement of the classroom can influence learning outcomes³, affect attitudes about learning⁵, and reveal the relationship of status, performance, and work⁶.

Kinesics, referring to movement of the body, allows communication through posture, gestures, and movement. Of these, teachers use gestures more than any other form of nonverbal communication⁷, and, according to Jonathan Thomas, an Associate Professor of mathematics education, gestures are an essential aspect of interpreting information⁸. Gestures offer an additional message to students, which can reinforce what is being spoken during instruction. Gestures are often subconscious, however purposeful use of complimentary gestures in teaching can avoid confusion in interpretation and reinforce understanding of the material⁸. Instructors should be encouraged to observe and interpret their student’s gestures to assess understanding. One study revealed that by paying attention to student’s gestures, it significantly increased the instructor’s ability to recognize and receive more information from them⁹.

Eye contact can create “a powerful, subconscious sense of connection”¹⁰, which can be a powerful tool to convey messages, for both the student and instructor¹¹. Business professionals recognize that eye contact is important in being successful when conducting presentations and during interactions with clients, and the same holds true in the learning environment. Increasing eye contact during instruction can be used to motivate students, interpret emotions, correct behavior, and strengthen the relationship between student and instructor¹¹. Research also suggests a strong link between increased eye contact and participation in group communication and group activities¹¹.

Paralinguistic behavior (sometimes incorrectly referred to as paralanguage) refers to the study of conversation¹². The term paralinguistic is used to describe the variations in speech; tone, inflection/intonation, volume, and vocal pauses that disturb fluency, such as ‘um’ or ‘ah’¹³. Aspects of paralinguistics, such as hesitation, articulation, rate, and pitch can project a wide variety of emotions. Instructors who vary their tone, pitch, volume, and rhythm during lectures are more successful in delivery of the lecture material¹².

It is important to note other forms of nonverbal communication that may be otherwise underestimated. Factors such as appearance (how one wears his or her hair or the clothes they wear), the automobile they drive, the house they live in, where their office is located, and chronemics can communicate valuable information about professionalism, character, mood, and behavior¹⁴. Chronemics, the study of the role of time in communication¹⁵, may include punctuality to class, the use of class time during lessons, and the time provided after questions are asked.

Instructors should be continuously aware of their nonverbal behaviors, as well as their student’s nonverbal behaviors, and utilize that information to better communicate within the classroom. Students are more receptive to lesson delivery when the instructor is skilled in nonverbal communication¹⁴, clearly indicating that nonverbal communicators are powerful tools in enhancing interpretation of information, which is why it is essential for instructors to accurately transmit and interpret the elements of nonverbal communication to facilitate better learning outcomes.

References:

1. Dunning, G. (1971). Research in nonverbal communication. Theory Into Practice,10(4), 250-258. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1475751
2. York, D. (2014, July 10). A fun guide to nonverbal communication and body language. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=QOkrS1v7Ywk
3. Galloway, C. (1968). Nonverbal communication. Theory Into Practice,7(5), 172-175. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1475983
4. Hall, E., Birdwhistell, R., Bock, B., Bohannan, P., Diebold, A., Durbin, M., . . . Vayda, A. (1968). Proxemics [and comments and replies]. Current Anthropology,9(2/3), 83-108. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2740724
5. Espey, M. (2008). Does space matter: classroom design and team-based learning. Review of Agricultural Economics,30(4), 764-775. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30225916
6. Puro, P., & Bloome, D. (1987). Understanding classroom communication. Theory Into Practice,26(1), 26-31. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1477078
7. Flevares, L., & Perry, M. (2001, June). How many do you see: the use of non-spoken representations in first-grade mathematics lessons. Journal of Educational Psychology93, no. 2 (June): 330–45. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.sienaheights.edu/docview/614356603/fulltextPDF/9DE9735ABCAC4D25PQ/1?accountid=28644
8. Thomas, J. (2018). Talking with our hands. Teaching Children Mathematics,24(5), 308-314. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5951/teacchilmath.24.5.0308
9. Kelly, S., Singer, M., Hicks, J., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2002). A helping hand in assessing children's knowledge: instructing adults to attend to gesture. Cognition and Instruction,20(1), 1-26. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3233860
10. Goman, C. (2014, August 21). Fascinating facts about eye contact. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2014/08/21/facinating-facts-about-eye-contact/#65ec057a1e26
11. Barati, L. (2015). The impact of eye-contact between teacher and student on L2 learning. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research 2(7), 222-227. Retrieved from http://www.jallr.com/index.php/JALLR/article/viewFile/180/pdf180
12. Khalifa, E., & Faddal, H. (2017, May). Impacts of using paralanguage on teaching and learning English language to convey effective meaning. Studies in English Language Teaching, 5(2), 295-306. Retrieved from http://www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/selt/article/viewFile/934/1016
13. Lunenburg, F. (2010). Louder than words: the hidden power of nonverbal communication in the workplace. International Journal of Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity. Retrieved from http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%20Fred%20C%20Louder%20Than%20Words%20IJSAID%20V12%20N1%202010.pdf
14. Muchemwa, S. (2013). Use of nonverbal communication in the classroom as a way of enhancing classroom teaching: a case study of Solusi High School, Zimbabwe. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 103, 1279-1287. Retrieved from https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042813039025/1-s2.0-S1877042813039025-main.pdf?_tid=334e9bab-df12-4488-bfdb-689474d1d844&acdnat=1543605192_325503b30a30b38ec6c10f71f5348151
15. Gleisner, J. (2018, November 27). Time matters – the chronemics of nonverbal communication. Retrieved from https://www.silentcommunication.org/single-post/2016/03/01/Time-matters-the-chronemics-of-nonverbal-communication