Non-verbal interaction and students’ visual engagement in mathematics and English classes
Date
2022-07Statistics
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Abstract
Background: The interactions in the classroom are of particular interest to the
teaching and learning processes. Objectives: This study examines nonverbal
interaction in mathematics classrooms, and how different modes of nonverbal
behaviour, contributed to the engagement in lessons. Design: A quantitative study.
Setting and Participants: 30 randomly selected students wore mini camera-mounted
eyeglasses in their mathematics and English lessons. Approximately 45 hours of video
recording were made from these cameras (from a first-person’s perspective) to analyse
and compare the nonverbal interaction in mathematics and English lessons. Data
collection and analysis: In Google Images, we objectively searched and statistically
analysed frames in which the class teachers appeared within the students’ visual field.
Results: The results show that how students are visually engaged with the teacher
depends on a set of proxemics. Differences were found related to visual attention both
regarding the subject matter and the different proxemics of the student in relation to the
teacher, pointing out that students are more visually involved with the teachers’
instructions when at a proxemic of 1.20 to 3.70 meters. Furthermore, we report
differences between boys and girls and how they are visually engaged in their
mathematics classrooms. Conclusions: Finally, we report how teachers pointing
gestures can serve as a tool to recapture students’ visual attention in mathematics
classrooms.