This was at the beginning of the lesson. The teacher said that she asked the question to greet students and make the students feel comfortable before the lesson (for emotional/social reasons). The teacher also added:
“Some conversations about students’ life, health or recent examination are good to make a good relationship with them” (ENM Teacher 4)
Both teachers and students agreed that a good relationship could promote teaching and learning.
Teachers (EM teacher 2, EM Teacher 4) reported that questions were a “stone that kills two birds” (EM teacher 2), to establish a connection with students, and this then would positively influence learning:
“Ask about their daily life or something that interests students. It is a good way to understand and make friends with students. A good relationship between teacher and students can motivate students to learn” (EM Teacher 4)
Both teachers and students explained how a good relationship could help learning and teaching. A good relationship between teacher and students could make the students feel like engaging and contributing more; thereby acquiring the language and gaining more knowledge.
The teachers also felt that positive relationships motivated them to teach better. For instance, teachers believed that if they used questioning to make students “feel involved or connected” (ENM Teacher 1) or “feel close to the teacher” (ENM Teacher 4) or “feel a happy atmosphere” (EM Teacher 3), the students would more actively participate in the lesson.
Students agreed that harmony could benefit both the teaching and students’ engagement:
“I think when the teachers are happy they often teach more enthusiastically.” (ENM group 2)
“[If] we like the teacher, we feel more confident and want to answer more.” (EM group 2)
One of the teachers admitted that she was sometimes tempted to lecture and talk, but when she noticed students becoming bored and distant, she posed questions as a way to interact and connect with students. She observed that through answering her questions, students became more engaged and closer to her (EM Teacher 1).
In brief, both teachers and students agreed that teachers asked questions as a way to build a relationship with students. Furthermore, the relationship-building questioning could make students and teacher emotionally closer. They believed that a good relationship was valuable because it could boost both the teacher and students to engage in classroom interaction.
Respecting students
Teachers believed that to build a relationship, they must show that they respect their students. Through questioning, teachers showed their respect by asking polite questions, recognising/welcoming students’ opinions, and offering feedback.
According to the teachers, when students were shy, they tended to be quiet and not to answer. Therefore, teachers needed to use questions to engage students respectfully. Because:
“If students feel they are respected and their answers are acknowledged they feel stimulated to engage more.” (ENM Teacher 2)
Teachers mentioned that they felt responsible for making students comfortable and confident in class. EM Teacher 1 talked about the fact that teachers made many utterances functioning as commands but in question form (for example, “Could you please move to the first row?” (ENM Teacher 1)).
“when I give a demand, it sounds like I impose this on students. So I use question forms to somehow show my respect to students. It is because I consider students are my customers.”
ENM Teacher 1 believed that the requests in question form:
“were instructions and students had to follow, but … reduced the feeling of giving an order and forcing students into doing something.”
The teachers reported that when using questioning, teachers tried to raise the students’ status by using friendly and respectful language. Furthermore, both teachers and students felt that encouraging questions worked to engage students. Encouraging questions were open:
“The teacher asked open questions, the ones that did not involve right or wrong. This made us feel confident to answer, not scared of making wrong answers.” (ENM group 2)
Or asked for the students’ points of view:
“I answered because the questions involved the personal experience of students…” (ENM group 1)
Another habit that was shared by many teachers was asking questions in Vietnamese and using the ‘ạ’ ending (a Vietnamese marker used by the younger or senior to the older or superior to show courtesy). The teachers explained that:
“It is partly because I feel that the mother tongue can make a better connection with the student. I just want to make the students feel less pressure …I guess I say the word ‘ạ' just to show that I am polite and I respect them very much.” (ENM Teacher 1)
ENM Teacher 2 considered that since university students were adult, they deserved her respect.
“The teacher should not have a pre-fixed answer, especially for open questions. We all respect students’ opinions, even if the answer may be opposite to the teacher’s answer.”
“I respect students' answers, but I can suggest students think more. My way is stating my own opinion and suggesting they think about it in different ways or for reference.”
However, some students disagreed with this. Students talked about how the teacher did not always welcome different ideas, but they showed politeness by not arguing and accepting the teacher’s answer:
“I felt my answer made sense and was reasonable but teacher kept asking me and orient me to follow her opinion. I think the teacher did not like student’s idea that was different from hers” (EM group 4)
Both teachers and students agreed that respecting the student's viewpoints would make students engage more. However, while teachers said that they respected students' different opinions, the students felt that some teachers did not welcome the students’ ideas if they differed from the teacher’s.
For example in ENM class 1:
Line Speaker Utterance and
non-verbal data Turns Function/ purposes 19 S4: We can sell it cheaper price if we can reduce the cost. R Giving information
20
T:
That’s a good idea. I mean different idea about money. But it is a good idea. (writes
“cheaper price” on board)
F Acknowledging
21 Another idea? I Requesting
information 22 Also about money and It starts with letter C….? P Prompting/eliciting