Design and Validation of the Non-Verbal Immediacy Scale (NVIS) for the Evaluation of Non-Verbal Language in University Professors.

Pilar Puertas-Molero,Félix Zurita-Ortega,José Luis Ortega-Martín,Gabriel González-Valero

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031159

Pilar Puertas-Molero, Félix Zurita-Ortega + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031159

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Abstract

Knowledge and awareness of how to use non-verbal language is essential for the educational field. For this reason, the aim of this study was to develop a validation that validly and reliably measures the analysis of non-verbal language in university teachers. Content validation was carried out by applying the Delphi technique and through an exploratory and confirmatory analysis. The validity of understanding is given by the application of the scale to 1316 university teachers between 24 and 67 years of age. The initial data collected through the Delphi technique provided some modifications. The final scale, called Non-verbal immediacy, was composed of a total of 26 items that presented satisfactory adjustments in both comprehension and outcome validity. Confirmatory factor analysis determined three dimensions (kinesics, paralanguage, and proxemics). These factors will be a new element for future lines of research related to the teaching-learning process, as high relationships have been demonstrated between non-verbal language and psychosocial aspects implicit in teaching practice, as well as comprehension and student learning.

Highlights

Non-verbal language is a competence that professors have to acquire and control, since it has a significant impact on their own work development and especially on the attitude and relationship with students [1,2,3]
It is worth mentioning that they show the satisfactory metric quality of the instrument when evaluated through confirmatory analysis
It should be highlighted that the results indicate the appearance of three factors: kinesis, paralanguage, and proxemics

Summary

Introduction

Non-verbal language is a competence that professors have to acquire and control, since it has a significant impact on their own work development and especially on the attitude and relationship with students [1,2,3]. Even though it is a characteristic that favors correct job performance, it sometimes goes unnoticed since it acts involuntarily in daily life, generating emotional states in students such as motivation, dissatisfaction, or aversion [4]. In this sense, it is highlighted that the educators’ work consists of making decisions about those methodological aspects that facilitate the acquisition of the objectives by the students, which places greater emphasis on what is or is not said on how it is transmitted [5].

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