Hearing the unheard voices: why I am quiet in our English class?

Benefits of active participations in English classrooms have long been well documented. However, our knowledge about underlying causes of Iranian students’ reticence in English classes is very limited. To address this gap, thirty reticent subjects were purposively selected through observations. Following the observations, a series of stimulated recall interviews were conducted to understand the students’ rationales behind their reticence. Data were analyzed using grounded theory analysis techniques. The result of the study showed that teacher immediacy behaviour, teacher instructional behaviour and student perception of English competency were the major culprits of the students’ reticence. In light of the analyses, some implications for teacher education and English language learners in Iranian and similar contexts were highlighted.