Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society (JSLCS)

The Silent Global Citizen: Challenging The Myth Of The Ideal Efl Learner

Auteurs : Metatha Hasna .

Résumé

This study challenges the traditional notion of the “ideal EFL learner,” which privileges verbal participation, confidence, and extroversion, by examining how silent and reflective engagement relates to learning and Global Citizenship Education (GCE) competencies. Using a mixed-methods design, the study collected questionnaire data from 36 third-year EFL students and 15 university EFL teachers at Batna-2 University and observations of the same student cohort across ten classroom sessions. The findings show that silence is a context-dependent and multifaceted form of participation, associated with cognitive processing, attentive listening, response preparation, and respect for others, but also with anxiety and disengagement. Students and teachers differed in their interpretations of silence, while teacher practices such as wait time and question rephrasing shaped opportunities for reflective participation. Observed silent engagement was also associated with behaviours related to empathy, respect, and intercultural awareness. The study concludes that silence cannot be interpreted simply as the absence of participation or as evidence of disengagement. By conceptualizing silence as an interactionally mediated form of engagement and connecting it to GCE-related competencies, the study challenges the extroversion-centred model of the ideal EFL learner and contributes to more inclusive understandings of classroom participation with relevance beyond the Algerian context

Mots clés

EFL classrooms ; global citizenship education ; learner participation ; reflective silence