Listening is one of the basic skills important to the human life and education. Listening is the understanding, analyzing, interpreting and evaluating processes of the sounds, which is totally different from just hearing. Every person can hear if he/she does not have a hearing problem, but listening is a process that requires a certain effort (Demiray et al., 2011: 174). Listening is not a skill developed randomly, rather it has to be learned and improved.

There is a requirement for the listener to provide a response in the listening process. During this process, the listener carefully detects, interprets the sounds, and provides feedbacks to the speaker in order to complete an effective communication cycle. From this perspective, listening can be defined as “Flawless understanding of the message the speaker intends to convey and to react appropriately against this mentioned stimulant” (Demirel and ?ahinel, 2006: 72). In addition, listening is the configuration process of the data in the mind (Güne?, 2007: 74).

Listening is important to the personal and social life of an individual and also has a significant place in the education life. According to a study conducted with university students, they spend 16% of their times speaking, 17% reading, 14% writing and 53% listening (Çankaya, 2004: 38). At this point, it has been revealed that university students spend nearly half of their times in listening activities during their studies at school.

In the classroom environment, teachers are usually in the speaker’s position and students are in the listener’s position and the teaching method of teachers is mainly based on giving lectures. According to the researches focused on this subject (Ye?ilyurt, 2013: 162), giving lectures is suggested to be one of the most widely used methods by teachers due to some reasons such as saving time, completing the subjects in crowded classrooms and transferring the theoretical knowledge to the students directly. It has been also noted that the lecture method also helps students to be good listeners (Ünalan, 2001; Özbay, 2009). In the lecture method, the teacher in the position of speaker becomes successful as they motivate the students, who are in the listener’s position. Therefore, the teacher has to have effective presentation skills and speaking competencies.

Although the lecture method is frequently used in the education systems, some feedbacks are reflected from listeners to the lecturer in the classroom environment and these feedbacks have some impacts on the lecturer. The lecturer shapes his/her messages by evaluating these feedbacks received from listeners as sounds, words, movements, gestures, facial expressions and behaviors and he/she rearranges the way he/she presents the course based on these feedbacks. In this respect, behaviors of the listener directly affect the presentation, motivation, performance and interest of the lecturer. Some behaviors of the listener contribute to the motivation of lecturer and help to increase his/her performance.

Listening and speaking processes are two basic elements of communication. The speech and speaker process come to the mind along with the listening process. In this regard, a -listener has various influence on the person who is in speaker’s position. In the classroom environments, students can influence their teachers, who are in the speaker’s position, either positively or negatively by some factors such as body language reactions, verbal behaviors and using some materials. In many studies, it has been expressed that the efficiency of education in the classroom significantly depends on the nature of communication (Bolat, 1996; Ergin and Birol, 2000). Since an effective communication cannot be established without agreement of both sides, the behaviors reflected from students influence the teacher (speaker). The good response of listener encourages and motivates speaker to be more energetic, productive and active during the class. However, it should be noted that there is a mutual response in this process, and the teacher can be motivated as long as he/she can motivate the students.

In the school environments, establishment of an effective communication between teacher and student rests on a special relationship and a strong bond created based on trust. In this relationship, both sides show respect to individuality and needs of each other; give a chance to creativity and improvement of each other (Gordon, 2007: 118).

According to Turkish Language Institute (TLI), the word of “motivation” means “incentive encouragement”. Motivation is the power that leads individuals to behave in a certain way or direct them in that way (Gibson et al., 1988:107). Furthermore, motivation encourages individuals to perform goal-directed behaviors (Schunf, 2009). In terms of education, motivation is the active participation of the student in a topic that attracts his/her attention or curiosity (Topçuo?lu et al., 2013:8). The motivated person is the one who is willing, ready and eager to perform his/her duties effectively. Since motivation gives energy to an individual and makes him/her eager to perform a behavior effectively, it is suggested to be one of the most important factors ensuring the effectiveness of teaching-learning process (Akbaba, 2006: 343). However, motivation is not important only for students, but also for teachers.

“The teacher with a high level of motivation is the one who is energetic, enthusiastic, willing to try new things and take risks. This teacher pays attention to the students, performs positive attitudes towards them and he/she is creative. The teacher with a low level of motivation is the one who has negative behaviors and attitudes, uses traditional teaching methods, resists changes and does not pay attention to his/her profession” (NEA, 1992 in Ergun, 2005: 138).

Both internal and external motivation concepts are mentioned in the classroom management along with efficient and effective teaching-learning activities. The internal motivation is the one that an individual has the essence of it deep inside. The source of internal motivation can be the senses of curiosity, interests, needs for learning new things and improvement coming from deep inside of an individual (Ergun, 2005: 139). The external motivation is the one developed by an individual depending on external stimuli. Willingly and voluntarily participation of a student to an activity can be considered as an example of internal motivation, whereas studying due to the fear of failing in the class can be considered as an example of external motivation. The internal motivation is the expected one from students; because, the improved internal motivation will bring stability and success together.

Performance is a word used as the meaning of “success”, which refers to a high-level of efficiency and satisfaction. It is the power, energy, contribution, efficiency and competence performed by an individual at workplace. Performance of an individual increases when he/she gets motivated; thus, his/her productivity, effectiveness and active participation at the work place also increase. In a sense, motivation is the reward of a performance to be performed. In this respect, motivation sources available for individuals are needed for higher performances. Performance of the teacher increases by being motivated by his/her students.  Thus, the teacher offers an efficient and quality education to the students. “The effectiveness of the teacher depends on his/her performance to be a good teacher in the classroom” (Y?ld?r?m et al., 2011). 

In a qualified education system, the role of the listener is as important as the role of the lecturer. In many educational environments, the teacher is in the speaker’s position and the student is in the listener’s position. The teacher in speaker’s position should be well prepared for the class and should be able to give the lecture as good as possible. On the other hand, the student in the listener’s position can contribute to the performance of the lecturer positively if he/she listens to the lecturer and shows good attitudes. Behaviors of the students in the classroom influence the motivation and performance of the teacher. The energy, efficiency and satisfaction of the teacher depend on the students, who are in the listener’s position. The motivated student is an important source for job satisfaction of the teacher and can contribute positively to the functioning of the class (Yüksel, 2004: 106). It should be also noted that the student is an important factor that may cause teachers to teach their courses with a low energy, to lose their enthusiasm and performances. In the formation of an effective and efficient educational atmosphere in the classroom, both teachers and students have important roles to play. “Adequate teachers are those who are well-planned, properly speaking, and capable of using various teaching materials and applying the best teaching methods” (?ahin, 2011: 241). In this regard, in order to establish a good communication between the teacher and students in the classroom, both sides should be aware of their potential influence on each other and fulfill their responsibilities.

For an effective classroom environment, teachers should present their lectures responsibly. In the classroom, students’ attitudes and behaviors affect the success of teacher’s classroom management as much as the responsibilities fulfilled by the teachers (Can and Baksi, 2014: 84). Students become motivated when the teacher makes the class more interesting, attractive and uses metaphors, stories, visuals, animations and exam-ples; similarly, the willing, interested, careful and respectful students motivate the teacher and increase his/her performance. Therefore, teacher should not expect to be motivated by the listeners only, rather he/she must attract the attention of students with an effective presentation. As stated by Çelik, students’ behaviors should be controlled to improve the quality and efficiency of the learning atmosphere (Çelik, 2012: 2). When teacher attracts interest and attention of the listeners and keeps it that way, his/her motivation will be influenced in a positive sense naturally; because, an interested and alive listener will encourage speaker to be more motivated and perform his/her presentation without any  performance issues. If students do not have the motivation  to  participate  in  the  class;  they  will  exhibit negative behaviors in terms of learning (Ery?lmaz, 2013: 4). To sum up, students and teachers motivate each other mutually in order to create an effective learning environment and establish good communication channels between each other.

Students who are not listening to the teacher in the classroom is an important issue for quality of the education provided; because, in such a case, teacher will not listen to his/her students too and he/she will not pay attention to their problems either. It is not possible to expect a teacher to reflect his/her performance fully in a classroom, where his/her students do not listen what he/she is saying during the class. However, there are many factors causing teachers to lose their motivations, have a lower level of performance and feeling of burnout. Motivation of the student, problematic behaviors, age, lack of interest of students and extreme demands of the parents, lack of management support, excessive bureaucracy and being appointed to somewhere else without willing are the factors that cause the feeling of burnout in teachers (Cemalo?lu et al., 2007: 468). In this study, behaviors of the students have been focused without taking other factors into account.

 

Aim of the study

This study aimed to determine students’ behaviors and attitudes that will help teachers to be well-motivated and exhibit higher performance; thus, increase their effectiveness in the classroom. This study was conducted in order to support the results of an earlier study by Emiro?lu (2014). 

 

Importance of the study

This study is important from the perspective of identifying the listeners' behaviors that improve lecturers’ effectiveness, motivation and performance in the classroom.

This study is conducted as a qualitative research. In the study, research design was created based on the phenomenology paradigm. “Phenomenology research design focuses on phenomenon that we are aware of, but do not have an understanding in detail. In the phenomenology studies, data sources are either individuals or groups who already lived or capable of reflecting or externalizing the phenomenon, which is the focus of the study” (Y?ld?r?m and ?im?ek, 2011: 74). The data obtained in this study are classified under various titles. “Data analysis is intended to uncover the experiences and meanings. There are efforts to reveal the themes that can identify the case and conceptualize the data by content analysis of the data. Results presented with a descriptive narrative and with direct quotations were included often” (Y?ld?r?m and ?im?ek, 2011: 75). The semi-structured interview technique was used in the collection of the data from participants. Participants were asked to answer an open-ended question and their  responses  were  analyzed.  The content analysis method was employed in the analysis of the data obtained from the research. “Content analysis refers to a systematic, iterative technique, in which a script is summarized in smaller categories of its words via codes based on certain rules” (Büyüköztürk et al, 2012: 240).

 

Collection and analysis of the data

The participants of the research are Turkish language and Turkish literature teachers and faculty members that are working in the city of Konya in Turkey. The institutions included in the study are middle schools, high schools and universities within the academic year of 2013-2014. Opinions of 25 teachers and faculty members from 5 different schools (Merve Selçuklu Abdullah Aymaz Middle School, Vali Necati Çetinkaya Middle School, Muhittin Güzelk?l?nç Anatolian High School, Konya High School and Mevlana University) were received to conduct the analyses. In this study, "easily reachable state sample method” (Y?ld?r?m and ?im?ek, 2011: 113) was used for selecting the participants. Teachers and faculty members included in the study are asked to answer an open-ended question; “Which behaviors of the students motivate you and increase your performance in the classroom environment?” in order to obtain their opinions about reactions of students in the classroom setting during lectures. Participants were interviewed in their own places and encouraged to give proper answers to open-ended questions. Views of some of the participants were recorded with a tape recorder while others were recorded in writing. Each interview lasted approximately 25-30 min. According to the experts working in the field of education, this open-ended question is very consistent with the purpose of the research. The data obtained were analyzed using the content analysis method. The stages of content analysis (1-Data Coding, 2-Finding the Themes, 3-Regulation of Codes and Themes, 4-Finding and Interpreting the Results) (Y?ld?r?m and ?im?ek, 2011:228) were used for analyzing the data. Furthermore, to support these themes, the opinions stated by teachers were included as well (Teacher 1). During the analysis process, field experts were consulted to see whether the categories and teacher responses were stated correctly. Most of them made a mention of similar points and corrections and modifications were made based on their suggestions. In this way, both internal and external validity of the study is ensured.

 

Participants

In this research design, the reason why language training teachers and faculty members were selected as sample of the study is that we can easily observe verbal and non-verbal behaviors of the instructors and students in this area. A total of 25 teachers participated in the research. The characteristics of the participants are presented in Table 1.

 

 

As shown in Table 1, 40% of the participants are females, while 60 % are males, respectively.

According to the opinions of teachers and faculty members, listeners' behaviors that increase the effectiveness of lecturers are classified under four main titles as follows: Positive body language movements of the listener, verbal behaviors of the listener reflecting their interest and attention, material use of the listener and other behaviors of the listener. The frequency and percentage of participants’ opinions for each theme is presented as well. All participants presented multiple opinions.

 

The positive body language movements of the listener

There are several responsibilities of both teachers and students to have an effective and efficient education environment. Listening to the lectures effectively, attendance, avoiding inappropriate movements and gestures motivating the teacher contribute to the class as much as good preparation, interest and performance of the teacher, and quality of the presentations. The positive body language movements exhibited by students during the class will improve performance of the teacher during the class and influence his/her interest and enthusiasm for the course. These movements are listed in Table 2.

 

 

According to the information given in Table 2, a total of 139 opinions were stated by teachers and faculty members regarding positive body language movements of the students.

Some of the opinions of teachers under this topic are as follows:

Teacher 6: Students establishing eye contact carefully and willingly motivate me during the class.

Teacher 9: Students raising their hands to express themselves motivate me and increase my performance.

Teacher 3: Students approve my words by their gestures or behaviors contribute to the presentation of my lecture positively.

Teacher 17: The smiling faces and satisfied students about the presentation of the lecture contribute to my performance positively.  

Teacher 5: Students listening to my lecture carefully motivate me.

 

The verbal behaviors of the listener reflecting their interest and attention

The verbal behaviors exhibited by students while listening to the lecture in the classroom influence motivation of the teacher. The remarks, questions or exclamations of the students showing that they listen to the lecture willingly will affect performance and motivation of the teacher in a positive manner. Conversations held among students and their verbal responses also influence the teacher, since the teacher can be motivated better and satisfied by his/her presentation depending on the feedbacks coming from students. The verbal behaviors of the listener motivating the teacher in the classroom environment are presented in the table in accordance with opinions of the teachers as follows:

As shown in Table 3, a total of 105 opinions were stated by teachers and faculty members regarding verbal behaviors of the students reflecting their interest and attention.

Some of the opinions of teachers under this topic are as follows:

Teacher 11: Questions asked by my students during the class motivate me.

Teacher 12: Students, who don’t speak to each other and listen to my lecture quietly, increase my performance.

Teacher 24: The correct answers given by students as response to my questions show that these students listen to the lecture effectively; thus, these students motivate me.

Teacher 16: The instant correct answers given by students increase my performance and motivate me.

Teacher 1: Pre-knowledge of the students related to what I am teaching motivates me. 

 

 

Material use of the listener

It is important to use the materials appropriately in an effective listening process. Notebooks, books, pens, photos, posters or technological tools (computers, tablets, etc.) used by the students should not affect the flow of the course and performance of the teacher negatively. The teacher in the speaker’s position can be influenced positively by the material use of the students. Student, who prevents the negative impact of the material used for the class, will affect his/her teacher positively. Use of the material by students motivating the lecturer in the classroom environments are given in the table in accordance with the opinions of teachers as follows:

According to the information given in Table 4, a total of 48 opinions were stated by teachers and faculty members regarding material use of the students.

Some of the opinions of teachers under this topic are as follows:

Teacher  9:   Students  taking   notes   during   my   class motivate me.

Teacher 4: Students, who have the class materials such as book, dictionaries, motivate me and increase my performance.

Teacher 18: Laptops used to follow my lecture and to take notes by some students motivate me.

Teacher 20: Students paying attention to my lecture rather than their personal belongings motivate me.

Teacher 13: Non-messy, clean and tidy students motivate me during my presentation. 

 

 

Other behaviors of the listener

Positive behaviors of the students, who are in the listener’s position in the class, result in both effective lectures given by the teachers and benefiting as much as possible from the class by affecting the instructors positively. There is another item as “the other behaviors of the listener” among behaviors of the students motivat-ing the teacher and increasing his/her performance. The above-mentioned item is presented in Table 5. 

 

 

As presented in Table 5, only 2 opinions were stated by teachers and faculty members as other behaviors of the listeners.

Opinions of teachers under this topic are as follows:

Teacher 23: Competition between students in the classroom increases my motivation and forces me to be well-prepared for the class.

Teacher 2: The positive competition between students motivates me.

Opinions of teachers and faculty members regarding listeners' behaviors that increase the effectiveness of lecturers in the classroom are summarized in Table 6.

 

 

According to Table 6, a total of 294 opinions were stated by teachers and  faculty  members.  47%  of  these opinions are about the positive body language movements of listeners, while 36% of them are about verbal behaviors of the listeners reflecting their interest and attention, 16% are about material use and 2 % are about other behaviors of the listeners, respectively. 

The teacher, who is giving the lecture, also observes his/her students and arranges his/her presentation based on responses and behaviors of the students. One of the most notable responses is the body language of the students. The teacher can understand whether his/her lecture is listened to effectively in an enjoyable way by observing body language responses of the students. In previous studies, it has been stated that emotional messages are more conveyed non-verbally than verbally” (Mehrabian and Ferris, 1967). As a result of the negative, bored and disinterested body language status of the students, performance of the instructor drops down and some reductions are observed in the quality of presentation. In this regard, it can be stated that the motivation and performance of the teachers depend on behaviors and attitudes of the students in the classroom. Motivation and performance level of the teacher increases when they see lively, active and interested students exhibiting positive body language movements during the class.

Physical responses of the students such as sitting upright, listening to the lecture carefully, keeping the eye contact, showing approval and satisfaction gestures, sitting teacher-orientated, sitting in a position with free arms and legs, raising hand to speak, giving instant feedbacks, ignoring the stimuli around and obeying the courtesy rules satisfy the teacher and increase the motivation and performance level of him/her. “In various studies conducted, the impact of students’ participation in the course on teachers was addressed” (Özsoy et al., 2013). “Yet in another study, it has been indicated that the listener can affect the person in the position of the narrator in various ways” (Yap?c?, 2012).

Verbal behaviors exhibited by listeners to show their interest and attention to the class contribute to the performance level of the teacher positively as much as their positive body language responses. Oral responses of the students, their questions asked to the teacher, their answers given to the questions, sounds and interjections they make, the knowledge reflected by them, their approval expressions, examples given by them, jokes, comments and evaluations related to the subject, their opposing views against the subject and the rhythm and voice tone while reflecting all these verbal factors influence the performance and motivation level of the teacher during class. In the studies investigated the audience behaviors that can influence either under-standing or misunderstanding in the communication, it has been presented that individuals convey some messages by verbal or non-verbal body language movements (Dudley and Lawrence, 1992).

Use of various materials such as laptops, pens, notebooks etc. by students during the class is an important factor that influences the performance and motivation level of the teacher; because, a student using his/her notebook to take notes instead of drawing pictures or scribbling or using the laptop to follow what is being taught is a great chance for the teacher. When the teacher realizes that students use their materials towards understanding the course, he/she becomes well-motivated for the class and exhibits a higher-level of performance. The student that keeps his/her desk tidy and clean,  takes  notes,  does  not  pay  attention  to  the materials that interrupt him/her, keeps the related publications nearby such  as  book,  dictionary  influences the teacher in a positive way. 

In the study, two opinions identified related to the competition between students affecting the motivation and performance level of the teacher in the classroom within the extent of other behaviors of the listener in the classification formed based on opinions of the teachers. This opinion was expressed by only 2 teachers out of 25 teachers. The competition between students can make them study more and improve their concentrations related to the course, which may please the teacher. Teachers have expressed that if the competition between students is positive, then it can affect their performances positively.

Receiving feedbacks from each other is an important element that ensures establishment of a good communication. The effective and efficient way of communication in the classroom requires the feedbacks given by both teachers and students. Sometimes, the receiver influences the source directly; because, the proper understanding of the outgoing messages received by the receiver reflects to the source as a positive feedback. In such a case, the source feels to be understood and does not lose its energy. In a study (Can and Baksi, 2014: 94) regarding the type of effects of attitudes and behaviors of the students on the classroom management success of the teachers, it has been determined that the positive attitudes and behaviors of the students motive teachers in a good way and influence their classroom managements positively. In the classroom environment, the teacher renews her/himself based on feedbacks given by students reflected as body language movements, sounds, feelings and behaviors. His/her performance, in a sense, depends on to what extent he/she is understood by the audience. Therefore, the clear and understandable use of language for giving messages and qualified teaching will increase the motivation and performance level of the students as well. Naturally, the teacher will be as efficient, effective and sufficient as the students. It should be noted that the important part of the responsibility lies on the teachers to ensure this cycle.

In this study, opinions of teachers regarding behaviors of the listeners motivating the lecturer are limited with the personal and professional thoughts, observations and knowledge of the teachers within middle-high schools and universities. It has been observed that opinions are similar to each other generally and they do not show significant difference depending on their educational levels. For example, opinions related to positive body language movements of the listener are similar to each other in all educational levels. The opinions related to eye contact, instant feedbacks, gestures and facial expressions reflecting the interest and attention of the students are also common. However, it was noteworthy that several features were degraded based on educational levels. For example, the efforts spent by students to show themselves by their facial expressions or body language movements were expressed by only middle school teachers. Exhibiting a serious image by the student during the class was expressed by only high school teachers and faculty members. In terms of verbal behaviors of the listener reflecting their interest and attention to the course, answers given as response to these questions are similar to each other. However, efforts spent by students to silence their peers are expressed by middle school teachers only. The proper opposition of the students in accordance with the topics covered in the class was expressed by faculty members working at the university only. The opinions related to the use of materials by students are almost common. The positive contribution of the competition between students to the performance and motivation level of the teachers was expressed by one middle school and one high school teacher under the title of “Other Behaviors of the Listener”. As a result, it has been revealed that the influences of majority of the behaviors, except some categorized ones, are seen at middle school and high school in a similar way.

Listening skills of students must be improved for an educational system which should satisfy both students and teachers. Therefore, the listening skills can be improved by performing some activities in the classroom. Students with improved listening skills are important motivation sources for teachers. Positive behaviors of the students are the rewards increasing performance and motivation level of the teachers in a sense. 

The listening process maintains its importance in the age of technology as it has kept it in all eras. Especially, there is a need of effective listening in the educational environments. It is known that two-thirds of the information learnt by people is obtained by listening only. The teacher, who takes the data revealed by this study into account, will be able to take measures and organize activities in the classroom to improve the listening skills of the students.

The findings of this study are important in order to understand the behaviors of students, which motivate teachers and increase their performance levels. Considering the findings obtained, some relevant practices must take place in the classrooms in order to increase interest, attention and motivation level of the students and provide them better learning environments by using effective techniques and methods for both teachers and students. This study was conducted with a total of 25 teachers and faculty members teaching Turkish language and Turkish literature at middle school, high school and universities, respectively. Future studies can be extended by including more teachers teaching in different areas.

The author has not declared any conflict of interest.