Nonverbal immediacy in the ESL classroom

Anyone who has ever taken a language course knows that it can be a\ud demanding place where students, stripped of their language abilities, may feel anxious or\ud nervous. It is essential for teachers in such spaces to build a relaxed and caring classroom\ud environment. Rapport-building strategies help teachers create a positive interpersonal\ud relationship with students. Immediacy behaviors are one subset of rapport-building\ud strategies which have been found to increase students??? cognitive and affective learning\ud among other things. This review of literature takes an in-depth look at nonverbal\ud immediacy behaviors to establish their importance in the ESL classroom, where students\ud often come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Although research is sparse\ud looking at nonverbal immediacy specifically in an ESL setting, it has been shown by\ud numerous studies to be cross-culturally applicable. After reviewing the literature, this\ud paper argues that ESL teacher training programs should also include instruction on\ud nonverbal immediacy behaviors in order to equip teachers with an understanding of teacher nonverbal communication strategies that help to create a positive and connected\ud atmosphere within the classroom.CSU, Chic