Steven (2008) defines communication as a process of sending and receiving messages that enable humans to share knowledge, attitudes and skills. Although communication is usually identified with speech, communication is composed of two dimensions namely verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication is defined by Steven (2008) as communication effected by word of mouth. Nonverbal communication has been defined by Calero (2005) as communication without words. It includes apparent behaviours such as facial expressions, eye contact, touching, posture environmental cues among many others. Everything communicates, including material objects, physical space and time systems. Verbal and nonverbal communication are linked together synchronously hence, in a classroom setup nonverbal communication is inevitable when speaking to pupils.
Ergin and Birol (2005) indicate that, the real communication between two persons begins when two of the persons establish eye contact. Eye contact in a classroom setup helps the teacher to convey content to be taught with confidence and vigilance of most of the things happening in the classroom. It also helps the teacher to gain control and respect, capture the learner’s attention and involve almost every learner in the classroom. According to Gower and Walters (1983) the teacher can uses eye contact in the classroom to show a pupil who is talking that he or she is taking notice of it and to encourage contributions when he or she is trying to elicit ideas. In a research done by Zeki (2009), he noted that, students reported the teacher’s eye contact as the source of their motivation and concentration in the lesson and made them feel important and confident as well. Even though it helps to involve pupils in the learning process, a male teacher should not always fix his eyes on one female learner as this may be interpreted by the learners