Learning in Silence: Understanding the Roots among English Silent Learners

The purpose of this study was to determine students’ perspective in learning English as a second language (ESL) while in silent mode. Additionally, the study explored how silent students describe their experiences upon acquiring knowledge of the language. It was established in various literatures that some instructors perceived students’ silence as disengagement. The study was conducted using a qualitative, phenomenological in-depth interview and focus group discussion methodologies. The study samples consisted of 17 silent students in an English class. Data were collected using audiotaping of interviews and field notes. Ten major themes emerged from the analysis of the data. The themes were: silence means simply concentrating; silence is brought about by self-consciousness and insecurity; silence in class does not always mean mindlessness; silence as learning style; silence in class is owed to one’s personality; being silent in an English class will hardly help in learning the language; being silent is alright as there are other ways to supplement learning of English; learning English needs more conscious effort and resolve to learn than simply being silent; and one can never learn English by just studying and being silent. The data suggest that students in silent mode cannot therefore be assumed to have no learning.