It Takes Two to Say ‘Hi’: Evaluating College Teacher/Student Greetings in Kuwait

Abstract

As mundane and empty expressions as they may seem, greetings are necessary social behavior for the establishment and maintenance of interpersonal relationships no matter what setting they occur in or who the interlocutors are. We hypnotized that greeting behaviors may especially be beneficial with college students in academic contexts. With a socio-pragmatic perspective in mind, the present study investigates the importance of caring classroom behavior between college students and teachers. Quantitative analysis elicited from online questionnaires analyzed via SPSS in search of significance across variables, such as gender, age, and social status, showed both students and teachers strongly believe that exchanging greetings are a crucial part of classroom interaction as it leads to the overall success of the relationship between them. In an era of achievement-oriented education, students are expected to pave their way efficiently towards potential professional levels needed in the job market. It is therefore essential that research exploring, even the most mundane aspects of teacher/student interaction, helps in tailoring to the students’ needs and interests.