Common discourses in Farhangiān University instructors' body language

Abstract

Perhaps it could be said that communication is one of the oldest, and at the same time, the best human achievement. In addition to various functions for human being, communication is the foundation of social activities and the beginning of social life. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the body language of instructors and to interpret the type of common discourses in their body language. To achieve this goal, the qualitative method of the phenomenological type has been used. The research population consisted of Farhangiān University instructors at the academic year 2017-2018, with more than three years of teaching experience. The sample was selected through purposive sampling and 15 people were selected considering the theoretical saturation. The research instrument was a semi-structured interview. After expressing the aims of the research and emphasizing the principle of confidentiality, the interview with instructors were recorded and written. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data, and the details of findings have been interpreted. The results showed that the instructors use body language signals for seven types of discourses including: warning discourse, confirmation and disconfirmation, intimacy, trust, anger, thinking and control. Finally, it could be said that body language is effective in simplifying the material, creating situations and positive attitude in the classroom, success in the teaching process, the instructors' trust in students and the deep learning ability.

Keywords

• communication
• verbal communication
• nonverbal communication
• body language