Silence and Participation in Online and Face-to-Face ESL Classrooms: Perceptions of FYUP Students

Adil Khan; Mohammad Rizwan Khan Khan

doi:10.66121/zd2cbz72

Authors

Adil Khan Junior Research Fellow, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9882-5455
Mohammad Rizwan Khan Professor, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66121/zd2cbz72

Keywords:

Silence, Participation, FYUP, Digital & traditional classrooms, communicative strategy

Abstract

Silence in language classrooms has long been misread as disengagement, yet growing evidence in applied linguistics suggests it serves cognitive, affective, and strategic functions. This study examines how undergraduate students at Aligarh Muslim University experience and interpret silence and participation across traditional face-to-face and digital learning environments. Using a structured, closed-ended questionnaire administered to 60 students enrolled in a Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), the study compares engagement patterns, barriers to participation, and learners’ perceptions of silence across both instructional contexts. Findings reveal that 65% of students associate traditional classrooms primarily with verbal participation, while 62% report fear of negative evaluation as a key barrier. In contrast, 48% of students in digital classrooms interpret silence as a form of reflection, enabled partly by chat-based and asynchronous participation tools. The study argues for a reconceptualisation of participation as multimodal and context-sensitive, with significant implications for inclusive pedagogical practice in Indian higher education.

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Author Biographies

Adil Khan, Junior Research Fellow, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

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Mohammad Rizwan Khan, Professor, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

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