Contemporary Education and Teaching Research 2737-4203 2737-4335 BONI FUTURE DIGITAL PUBLISHING CO.,LIMITED https://ojs.bonfuturepress.com/index.php/CETR/article/view/2069 7 9 2026 2026-09-25 Understanding Classroom Silence: A Cognitive-Decision Model of Reference-Point Dependence and Task Framing Baoxia Zuo* Classroom silence persistently constrains college oral English instruction, yet its cognitive mechanisms remain underexplored. Drawing on Prospect Theory, this study constructs and tests an integrated model linking reference-point dependence, task framing, and language proficiency to explain oral risk-aversion. Survey data from 541 non-English-major undergraduates were analyzed via structural equation modeling. Results show that (1) four reference-point types-peer comparison, self-expectation, cultural norms, and teacher specification-significantly predict risk-aversion, with teacher specification exerting the strongest effect (β = 0.876); (2) perceived teacher task framing partially mediates this relationship (54.7% of total effect); (3) task framing and reference-point dependence interact to form a "cognitive-situational reinforcement loop"; (4) multi-group SEM based on CET-4 passing status reveals that non-passers show stronger direct reference-point→risk-aversion paths, while passers show a stronger task-framing→risk-aversion path; notably, the teacher-specification→risk-aversion path remains stable across proficiency levels. These findings position reference-point dependence as a key cognitive driver of classroom silence and task framing as an actionable intervention channel, while proficiency-stratified sensitivities call for differentiated pedagogical strategies. This study offers a novel cognitive-decision perspective on L2 classroom interaction and provides empirical and theoretical grounds for task and assessment design. foreign language learners,classroom oral performance,risk aversion,reference-point dependence,prospect theory,language proficiency 10.61360/BoniCETR262020690903

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