Tài liệu 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 1. Rationale .................................................................................................................... 1 2. Aims of the study ........................................................................................................ 1 3. Scope of the study....................................................................................................... 1 4. Methodology .............................................................................................................. 2 5. Design of the study ..................................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................. 3 1. Literature review......................................................................................................... 3 1. 1. Culture .................................................................................................................... 3 1.2. Communication? ...................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Definition of communication ............................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Types of communication ..................................................................................... 4 1.3 Cross-cultural communication................................................................................... 4 1.4 Non-verbal communication ....................................................................................... 4 1.4.1 Definition of nonverbal communication ................................................................. 4 1.4.3 Means of nonverbal communication ....................................................................... 6 2. Hand gestures, body movements and postures ............................................................. 6 2.1. Hand gestures .......................................................................................................... 6 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 1. Method and procedure .............................................................................................. 16 1.1 Research questions .................................................................................................. 16 1.2 Research participants .............................................................................................. 16 iii 1.3 Research procedure ................................................................................................. 17 2. Data collection instruments ....................................................................................... 17 2.1 Observation ............................................................................................................ 17 2.2 The survey questionnaires ....................................................................................... 18 3. Data analysis method ................................................................................................ 18 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ................................................ 19 1 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 3. POSTURES .............................................................................................................. 28 3.1 Frequencies ............................................................................................................. 28 3.2 Similarities and differences ..................................................................................... 29 3.3 Students' attitudes ................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION......................................................................................... 34 1. Recapitulation ........................................................................................................... 34 1.1. Hand gestures. ....................................................................................................... 34 1.2 Body movements .................................................................................................... 34 1.3 Postures .................................................................................................................. 35 2. Implications .............................................................................................................. 35 3. Limitations ............................................................................................................... 36 4. Suggestions for further study .................................................................................... 36 References ....................................................................................................................... 37 iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. Scope of the study The study is confined to only hand gestures, body movements and postures performed by American and Vietnamese teachers in class. 1 4. 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. 5. Design of the study The study is designed with five chapters: The first chapter introduces the study. The second chapter involves 2 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 3 mentions the methodology of the study. Chapter 4 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. 2 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1. 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, 3 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 4 behaviors can become part of the communication process when someone intentionally tries to convey a message or when someone attributes meaning to nonverbal behavior of another, whether or not the person intends to communicate a particular process.” Nguyen Quang (2004) defined: “all the components of the message that, when taken together, constitute the communication which is not verbally coded but both vocally and non-vocally channeled. Nonverbal communication is composed of paralinguistic factors (nonverbal - vocal channel), such as rate, volume, etc., and extra-linguistic factors (nonverbal - non-vocal channel), such as body language (gestures, postures, facial expressions,…) object language (including clothing, jewelry…) and environmental language (proxemics, settings…)”. 1.4.2 Significance of nonverbal communication Argyle, in “Bodily Communication,” points out five crucial roles of non-verbal communication: to express emotions, communicate interpersonal relationships, support verbal interaction, reflect personality and perform rituals, such as greetings and goodbyes. Altheimer(2008) identifies how non-verbal communication interacts with verbal communication. “We can reinforce, contradict, substitute, complement or emphasize our verbal communication with non-verbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions and vocal inflection. For example, as you 5 tell someone you love them but you avoid eye contact, it is a contrast. If you have a bright smile when you say congratulations, this reinforces the sincerity of your words.” 1.4.3 Means of nonverbal communication Nguyen Quang(2001: 19) believes that nonverbal communication is realized by the following means: Nonverbal Communication Paralanguage Body language/ Kinesics - Vocal characteristics + Pitch + Volume + Rate + Vocal quality - Types of vocal flow - Vocal interferences - Silence... ... Extra language Object language/ Artifacts - Clothing - Jewellery - Accessories - Make-up - Artificial scents - Gift - Flower - Eye contact - Facial expressions - Physical characteristics - Gestures - Postures - Body movement - Touch/Haptics/Tactile ... Environmental language - Setting - Conversational distance/Proxemics - Time/Chronicles - Lighting system - Color - Heat ... 2. Hand gestures, body movements and postures 2.1. Hand gestures In chapter 5 of the book “Navy Instructional Theory” (1992) Commanding officer Netpmsa defines “A gesture is a natural movement of any part of the body that conveys a thought or emotion or reinforces oral expression”. Your gestures will convey whether your personality is strong, calm or gentle rely on a large extent. Netpmsa(1992: 63 ) believes that “Regardless of your personality, gestures will add to the effectiveness of your speech if you relax your shoulders, arms, and hands, and concentrate on communicating to the audience the meaning and importance of your ideas.”. When someone has natural gestures, it will work. However, when a 6 communicator performs an artificial gesture, it will detract. When speaking, teachers who practice spontaneous gestures to illustrate more for words will arise naturally from enthusiasm and conviction. Descriptive gestures illustrate an action. Use your hands to convey a message, such as a “V” formed with two fingers is consider as a symbol of victory. Hand gestures are a effective way denoting what one person is saying. However, a gesture performs distinctive meanings in different cultures. These gestures are most useful when two people who come from different countries with different language communicate together. The meaning of hand gestures in each culture has particular meaning. Thumbs up and Thumbs down Although “Thumb-up” sign is recognized as approval or agreement in English speaking countries, it is actually used as an insult in Bangladesh. In certain parts of the Middle East, thumb-up is definitely a highly offensive. People have been confused about this sign for a long time. Shalint Verma(2005: 59) wrote “More recently, it is associated with movie reviews, having been popularized by critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on their televised review show Siskel & Ebert — the thumb up meaning a positive opinion of a film; the thumb down meaning a negative one.” The trademarked phrase "two thumbs up", originally meaning a positive review from both reviewers, has come to be used as an indication of very high quality or unanimity of praise. The thumb down sign obviously means the opposite 7 of a thumb up sign. It is an indication of something that is bad or something that you do not approve of. ( https://vi.scribd.com/document/161126797/Symbol-Gesture ) When someone performs “thumb down” sign, It means something or someone has failed. The thumb down sign is not used as much as the thumb up sign because of its negative meaning. R. Royale (2015) indicated that “Its use is nowhere near as common as the thumbs-up gesture and is seen as a somewhat rude, callous, and arrogant way of indicating failure or disapproval.” . A man giving a thumbs down sign of disapproval. Beckoning gesture (“Come here” gesture) Beckoning gesture (“Come here” gesture) is a gesture when the hand is extended and the forefinger is then repeatedly curled towards the palm in a hooking motion. “In today’s (western) society, the “crooked finger” is seen as a somewhat impolite hand gesture. Almost exclusively a superior-to-subordinate (parent-to-child) 8 hand gesture, it has arrogance about it. It is also used for summoning a waiter and, is some countries; it is used exclusively for calling-over a prostitute” according to Umi Pujiyanti & Fatkhunaimah Rhina Zuliani (2014 : 70 ). You may have used it on people more junior to yourself but just try it on your superior and then watch their shocked facial expression. The Ok In most of the English-speaking world, as well as in several other countries, this hand gesture means that everything is fine, great , okay and / or perfect. In Brazil, however, it is considered a rude gesture. The most famous example of this was in the 1950s when Richard Nixon visited Brazil and flashed the “Ok sign” to a waiting crowd upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro, who responded with boos! 9 In japan, the “OK sign” means “money”. Imagine a Western businessperson giving the “Ok sign” at the end of a successful negotiation. The Japanese businessperson might misinterpret this as the American asking for a bride! The “V” Sign This sign has two formats: one with the palm faced outwards, and another with the palm inwards. In the US, both ways refer to “victory” and peace: protesters against the Vietnam War and activists adopted the gesture as a sign of peace [32]. Because the hippies of the day often flashed this sign (palm out) while saying “Peace”, it became popularly known(through association) as the peace sign [31]. In other places, such as in the UK, Australia and South Africa, the same gesture with the back of the hand facing the other person is considered to be an extremely insulting [32]. A very common example of hand gestures is former President George W. Bush. On a visit to Canberra in 1992, George H.W. Bush unwittingly insulted a group of locals by giving them the V-sign while riding past in his armored car. The gesture might mean “Victory” in America, but it means something radically different in Australia when given with the palm facing inward, as in Bush Senior’s case. Used that way, it’s actually equivalent to the upraised middle finger in the US. 10 Pointing gesture The typical pointing with the index finger is a gesture used in many cultures. Some cultures use the middle finger (certain regions of India). Other cultures also point with the thumb, often when referring to something behind the speaker. In Western cultures pointing directly with the index finger at a person is considered rude. A more polite way of pointing to a person would be to direct the hand in their direction, as if holding a plate. There are many other ways to point, for example with the hand, a head nod or an eye gaze. In some Native American cultures, one actually points with the nose, avoiding the disrespect associated with pointing fingers. Some use lip pointing, for instance the Misquite in Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as Spanish speaking city dwellers in large parts of northwestern South America and it is also a common sight in the Philippines. In America and European cultures, it is considered rude to point fingers at others. This hand gesture is an indication of a dominant - to subordinate behavior in the professional world. It is considered a gesture to single out an individual from a crowd. This aggressive signal is not liked by many, as no one likes to be singled out. 2.2. Body movements Body movement is an integral part of human interaction; it is one of the factors emphasizing and clarifying verbally expressed ideas. Because body 11 movement is so easily adaptable for communicating, we should control your actions while instructing in order to reinforce rather than contradict our words. The image we present and your body movements will strengthen our communication so that we should utilize our body to communicate positively with the students. Hamlet used to have advice to the players in Shakespeare's Hamlet in 1601 “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature”. Movement is the motion of the whole body when you go around the classroom. “Movement attracts the attention of the listener because the eye instinctively follows moving objects and focuses on them.” Netpmsa, (1992). Movement can assist you convey ideas to your students. The basic rule in movement is moderation. Therefore, we - teachers should not remain standing in one spot and do not go on the move all the time. As our skill and experience increase, our movement will become less conspicuous and more significant. Learning to modify the degree of movement to make it natural and meaningful and planning our movement so that we are at the proper place at the proper time. These movements connected to a thought or emotional impulse convey the messages. Stand still without movement - while you are paying attention to a question, you can stand still without movement to show your interest. However, body movements can distract from the message. Pacing from one side to other - If you pace from one side of the front of the room to the other meaninglessly, the students will follow the movement. Moving a hand repetitively If you use your hand to move your hair out of your eyes constantly while speaking, the audience will focus on the movement rather than what you are saying. In this thesis, the researcher focuses on the movements of teachers in class. Standing fixed on the podium, walking round and round, walking to and fro on the podium, coming up to students and keeping a close distance (30cms) from the nearest student, walking to and fro along the classroom are studied to find out the differences between American and Vietnamese teachers. 12 2.3. Postures Posture is the way you position your body. Postures are divided into two groups namely conscious postures and unconscious postures. The conscious postures are those which we are completely conscious when performing, hence we can control them. These postures can be used in both formal and relaxed situations as a communicative channel. The unconscious postures are those performed with our recognition that can not be controlled. They often occur in relaxed situations and don not carry the meaning of communicational signal. Formal posture(closed posture) This type of posture is performed in accordance with the rules and conversations in situations considered formal such as meetings, conferences, weddings, funerals etc with communicating partners who have higher power like boss, teachers, professors, grandparents... - Seating neatly, two legs close, body moving forward a little, two hands placed on the desk, face turned toward the audience. - Standing upright, two arms straight and close to the body. Relaxed postures (open posture) This type of postures occurs in situations considered as informal, close. It is used for the communicating partners having equal or lower relational power and having close social distance. Following are main types of relaxed postures: - Leaning back in a chair if seated - Putting hands in pocket - Feet on desk - Hands joined behind your back - Hands on hips - Leaning against the wall - Defensive posture This type of posture can appear in both formal and informal situations. It can be used in communication among power-unequals or those who have different 13 social distances. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/143115-4-key-characteristics-nonverbal-c ommunication/ ) 2.4. Previous related studies 2.4.1. In the world The importance of nonverbal cues in communication as well as in class interaction is widely accepted. There have been many researchers interested in carrying out studies on this issue. For instance, Okon(2011) states that our daily nonverbal behavior and the powerful culture influences on participants in classroom. However, his main purpose is to work on outcomes when conflict arises with a student in the classroom and concerned about their teachers’ “behavior”. Sharing the same perspective, Guvendir(2011) insists that using only verbal cues cannot fully define the classroom interaction. It is essential for teachers to use nonverbal communication to make students aware of their errors. The researcher just gives insights into the use of nonverbal behavior of teachers in providing their students with corrective feedback. Discussing the teachers “nonverbal behavior” impact on students’ achievement, Negi (2009) and Chaudhyl and Arifi (2012) agree that teachers “nonverbal behaviors” play a highly important and essential role on learners’ motivation in language classroom. In addition, Peng Hong Li(2011) indicates that most of teachers are not aware of the fact that nonverbal cues they use have an influence on teaching effects and ignore the role of their nonverbal behavior in class. His study recommends that teachers should take advantage of nonverbal communication to assist and complement classroom teaching to archive the best effect and high efficiency. 2.4.2. In Vietnam In Vietnam researchers become more and more aware of the importance of nonverbal cues .There are a considerable number of research works on this topic such as the ones by Vu Thi Thanh Mai (2008) Dang Thuy Hang (2007) Bui Hai 14