Strategies to Deal With Reticent Students

In Second Language Acquisition (SLA) classrooms, teachers often face the challenge of dealing with students who are reticent and hesitant to actively participate during the learning process. These reticent students tend to respond with silence, single-word answers, or whispered replies to teacher cues, leading to teacher-dominated discourse that can account for up to 80% of verbal interaction (Walsh, 2011; Tsui, 1998 as cited in Walsh, 2011). This lack of participation not only limits students' opportunities to practice language skills but also forces teachers to fill conversational gaps or even leads to classroom discussion ending without meaningful outcomes. Factors such as fear of making mistakes, lack of confidence, cultural influences, or limited understanding of the material are often the root causes of this reticence (Salija, 2020). For teachers, this issue poses a significant challenge, as it hinders the creation of an interactive and supportive learning environment necessary for students' language development. Therefore, this essay will explore strategies that teacher can employ to address reticent students, drawing from Amy Tsui's (1998 as cited in Walsh, 2011) study. These strategies include lengthening wait-time, improving questioning techniques, accepting various types of responses, utilizing group work and peer support, and providing constructive feedback to foster participation and enhance the effectiveness of language learning.