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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, MODERN MANAGEMENT, APPLIED SCIENCE & SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJEMMASSS) [ Vol. 8 | No. 3 (II) | July-September, 2026 ]

The Culture of Silence in Classrooms: Why Students do not ask Questions and What Teachers can do

Dr. Mukesh Kumar Meena & Dr. Mohammad Akbarul Qadri

The interaction within the classroom is the lifeblood of teaching and learning. But the general practice of our schools is that only the teacher seems to speak for the whole hour. Children sit quietly in confusion, neither asking questions nor participating in lesson discussions. The result is that learning becomes one-sided and the child merely listens instead of learning. This silence of the students should not always be interpreted as inattention, discipline or disinterest. This silence can also be due to the fear of making a mistake. Students fear criticism. They may have low self-esteem and a language barrier. Peer pressure and bad past experiences also contribute to this. Apart from this, the teacher's attitude and social environment also have an effect. This research paper examines this class silence. It has brought forward investigations related to class interaction, questioning and student participation. This paper distinguishes between two types of silence. There is a useful silence, in which the child thinks. The second is imposed silence, which prevents the child from speaking and thinking.  The premise of the thesis is that silence is not just a student's personal flaw. This arises from psychological, pedagogical, social and institutional reasons. This paper discusses ways to change the class. The teacher should give the child time to think by asking questions. Dialogue and conversation are given space in the class. Eliminate fear from the child and increase communication with peers. Finally the result of the study revealed that teacher creates a classroom environment where making mistakes is not considered a bad thing. Asking questions conducting healthy discussions and having different opinions is the foundation of learning.

Meena, M. & Qadri, M. (2026). The Culture of Silence in Classrooms: Why Students do not ask Questions and What Teachers can do. International Journal of Education, Modern Management, Applied Science & Social Science, 08(03(II)), 164–170. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJEMMASSS/8.3(II).9424
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DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJEMMASSS/8.3(II).9424

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJEMMASSS/8.3(II).9424


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