ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching
Vol 12, No 1: April

The Impact of Teacher Nonverbal Immediacy on Student Anxiety in English Language Learning: A Correlational Study

Sally, Fauzan Hari Sudding (Unknown)
Fahmuddin, Muhammad (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
12 Mar 2025

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between teacher nonverbal immediacy and student anxiety in learning English and identifies the specific nonverbal immediacy behavior that most significantly influences student anxiety. A total of 62 students from an English Education Study Program participated in this research. Data were collected using two structured questionnaires measuring lecturer nonverbal immediacy and student anxiety in learning English. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationship between the variables. The findings indicate a significant negative correlation between teacher nonverbal immediacy and student anxiety, suggesting that higher levels of teacher nonverbal immediacy are associated with lower student anxiety. Among various nonverbal immediacy behaviors, smiling whether directed at an individual student or the entire class was found to have the most substantial impact in reducing student anxiety. However, one form of nonverbal immediacy, maintaining eye contact with the class while speaking, exhibited a positive correlation with student anxiety. These findings underscore the critical role of teacher nonverbal immediacy in shaping students’ emotional experiences in language learning and highlight the need for educators to adopt effective immediacy behaviors to foster a more supportive learning environment.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ELT

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

ELT Worldwide is a Journal of English Language Teaching published by the English Language Education Graduate Program of the State University of Makassar, Indonesia. This journal publishes research articles of English Language Education practices around the world. The editors welcome experts and ...