Table 5 Subthemes of teacher responses and their influence on question-posing anxiety.

1Teacher Receptivity and Its Psychological Impact

Negative verbal or nonverbal responses (e.g., sighing, dismissiveness) led to feelings of humiliation and long-term avoidance of questioning.

Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1988); Face-Threat Sensitivity (Ting-Toomey, 2005); Attributional Spiral (Weiner, 1985)

“When a professor sighed and said, ‘This was in the readings,’ I felt so humiliated…” (P2)

2 The Power of Affirmative Scaffolding

Instructor behaviors like rephrasing student questions increased clarity and signaled social validation, encouraging further participation.

Vygotskian Scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978); Social Validation

“My tutor always rephrases my questions aloud… it clarifies my meaning and signals it’s a valid query.” (P4)

3 Asymmetry in Communication Expectations

Discrepancies between stated norms (“no silly questions”) and implied responses created confusion and hesitancy among students.

Hidden Curriculum (Jackson, 1968); Schema Theory

“Professors say ‘No silly questions,’ but their responses sometimes imply there are…” (P5)

4 Cross-Cultural Differences in Feedback Interpretation

Indirect or ambiguous feedback (e.g., “interesting point”) was misinterpreted due to differing expectations around feedback clarity.

Feedback Literacy (Carless & Boud, 2018); Cultural Feedback Preferences (Hu & Li, 2017)

“When my professor said ‘Interesting point’ bu, t didn’t elaborate, I panicked…” (P1)

5 Practical Implications for Instructors

Suggestions include developing nonverbal awareness, using structured question techniques, and engaging in metacommunication to affirm questioning norms.

Inclusive Pedagogy; Metacommunication

Not applicable (pedagogical summary)