An Analysis of Verbal and Nonverbal Classroom Teaching Behaviors
The objectives of this research were twofold: 1.) to construct an operationally explicit instrument to measure verbal and nonverbal teacher-learner classroom behaviors; 2.) to determine the relationships among verbal and nonverbal teacher-learner behaviors. Videotaped observations of teacher-interns in a federally-sponsored teacher training program were conducted in the classrooms of six public elementary schools, grades K-6. Five-minute segments of tapings were analyzed by four trained judges, who used a behavior rating schedule developed for this study, to categorize verbal and nonverbal behaviors. These ratings yielded the data for correlational analyses. The results indicate that the behavior rating schedule is operationally functional. Cluster analysis indicates that teacher-interns’ approval tends to be passively, nonverbally expressed whereas disapproval tends to be explicitly, verbally communicated. Smiling, verbally probing teacher-interns are associated with thoughtful and responsive pupils over...