The predicting role of EFL teachers’ immediacy behaviors in students’ willingness to communicate and academic engagement

BACKGROUND: Teacher-student interactions and proximity have been shown influential in second/foreign (L2) education. However, the role of L2 teachers’ immediacy behaviors on students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) and academic engagement remains relatively unexamined in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL). PURPOSE: This study intended to examine the association among EFL teachers’ immediacy behaviors and students’ WTC and engagement. METHODS: In this quantitative study, three online questionnaires were completed by 400 Chinese EFL students in different universities out of which 364 were valid. RESULTS: The results of statistical analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that teachers’ immediacy behaviors (verbal, nonverbal) had a highly significant influence on EFL students’ WTC (ß=0.89, p = .000) and academic engagement (ß=0.71, p = .000). It was also revealed that teachers’ immediacy could predict 89% and 71% of variances in students’ WTC academic engagement, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, I could be concluded that EFL teachers’ interpersonal communication abilities (e.g., immediacy) foster the establishment and growth of other positive outcomes among learners. IMPLICATIONS: The study presents some conclusions and practical implications for EFL teachers, materials developers, and trainers to integrate the nonverbal cues of L2 communication into their practices. Such practices have the potential to enhance students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) and improve academic engagement.