Summary: Classroom Communication

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Introduction Education, as defined by Hubbell and Hubbell (2010) cited in AlKandari (2012), goes beyond pure information transmission and skill building. It is essentially “a developmental process both for students and instructors” (Hubbell & Hubbell, 2010 cited in AlKandari, 2012). Classroom communication is perceived as vital for such a process to take place. Excessive communication, however, becomes a classroom misbehavior when a few students dominate the discussion to an extent that others’ learning is impeded (McPherson & Liang, 2007). Overly talkative students or compulsive communicators, as generalized by McCroskey and Richmond (1995) cited in McPherson and Liang (2007), encompass the following four characteristics: (i) …show more content…

Having given the autonomy and power to judge, the compulsive communicators feel that they are being trusted and valued and their competence is being acknowledged. In this way, a win-win situation emerges: the egoistic craving for esteem of the compulsive communicators is satisfied and the interest of each student in the class is served simultaneously. Learning is hence maximized.
Conclusion
As noted by McPherson and Liang (2007), compulsive communicators may bring insights into classroom discussion, yet their impulsive urge to display their ability saturates the class time to an extent that their behavior obstructs their peers’ learning. Hence, there is a need for educators to step in. While there seems to be a unanimous agreement among scholars that it is appropriate to interrupt compulsive classroom communicators given that the interruption is made with caution, taking into consideration the politeness factor; that is, face-saving, for example, such an intervention approach is comparatively passive. Prevention is better than cure. Various classroom activities can be administered to prevent the over communicating behavior and promote a fair learning environment. Small-group discussion with each group member having a specific assigned focus could be a possible

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