Politeness and Rapport Management in Classroom Interaction: A Sociopragmatic Analysis
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to identify what politeness strategies were employed and how they address the rapport management's face and sociality rights. Grounded in Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness theory and Spencer-Oatey’s (2008) rapport management framework, the study explored how language use contributed to relational dynamics in educational settings. Data collection consisted of classroom observations and semi-structured interviews conducted at a non-sectarian private institution in Davao City, which were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The results showed that positive politeness was the prevailing strategy used, often conveyed through in-group identity markers such as ‘anak’ and ‘langga’, as well as engagement and participation-driven offers and promises. These approaches addressed students' face needs and sociality rights, promoting inclusion while alleviating anxiety and building harmonious relationships within the classroom atmosphere. It was also found that educators deliberately balanced authoritative and empathetic discourse, thereby strengthening rapport and communicative efficacy between teachers and students. These findings underscore that teachers’ use of positive politeness fosters inclusion, eases anxiety, and strengthens rapport, while balancing authority with empathy to enhance classroom communication.
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright © 2024 IJPLH, its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved. For all open access content, the Creative Commons (CC) Attribution 4.0 International Public License terms apply.
How to Cite
References
Adhari, S., & Sesmiyanti, Y. (2022). Positive politeness strategies in classroom interaction at EFL class. Journal of Language, Literature and English Teaching, 3(2), 43-55. https://doi.org/10.31629/juliet.v3i2.4172
Aeni, N., Muthmainnah, M., Strid, J. E., & Apriani, E. (2022). Off-record politeness strategies used by the EFL teachers for blended classroom. English Franca: Academic Journal of English Language and Education, 6(2), 341-356. https://doi.org/10.29240/ef.v6i2.4774
Afzal, A., & Rafiq, S. (2022). Impact of teachers’ instructional techniques on student involvement in class: A case study. UMT Education Review, 5(2), 184–204. https://doi.org/10.32350/uer.52.10
Agustina, I. (2021). Understanding classroom communication: A study on teacher-student interaction. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics.
Ahmad, C. V. (2021). Causes of students’ reluctance to participate in classroom discussions. ASEAN Journal of Science and Engineering Education, 1(1), 47-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.xxxxx/AJSEE.v1i1
Aporbo, R., Barabag, J., Catig, B., & Claveria, C. M. (2024). Face-threatening and face-saving speech acts of teachers: A discourse analysis of classroom interactions. World Journal of English Language, 14(3), 413-439. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v14n3p413
Banat, S., Al-Natour, M. M., Almahasees, Z., & Al-Omari, N. M. A. (2024). A pragmatic analysis of negative politeness strategies employed by Jordanian professors. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 22(2), 7212-7222. https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.2.00545
Beißwenger, M., & Pappert, S. (2019). How to be polite with emojis: A pragmatic analysis of face work strategies in an online learning environment. European Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(2), 225–253. https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2019-0003
Beschieru, M. (2021). Changes in the classroom discourse: Negative politeness and impoliteness. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae Philologica, 13(2), 37-54. https://doi.org/10.2478/ausp-2021-0012
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). In Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners (1st ed., p. 47). SAGE Publications.
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage (Vol. 4). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587263
Briones, G. R. B., & Liwanag, M. H. C. (2023). Politeness Strategies in Filipino Student-Professor Email Correspondence in Higher Education Amid Pandemic. International Journal of Language Studies, 17(2), 25-50.
Cochran, W. G., & Rubin, D. B. (1973). Controlling bias in observational studies: A review. Sankhyā: The Indian Journal of Statistics, Series A (1961-2002), 34(4), 417–446.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2022). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Culpeper, J., & Kan, Q. (2020). Communicative styles, rapport, and student engagement: An online peer mentoring scheme. Applied Linguistics, 41(5), 756–786. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz035
Denzin, N. K. (2017). Sociological methods: A sourcebook (N. K. Denzin, Ed.; 1st ed.). Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315129945
De Vera, N. L., & Jajalla, J. B. (2025). A pragmatic analysis of politeness strategies of request letters. EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 5(11), 595-602. https://doi.org/10.36713/epra19822
Driscoll, D. L. (2011). Introduction to primary research: Observations, surveys, and interviews. In Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing (Vol. 2, pp. 153-174). Parlor Press.
Fitriyani, S., & Andriyanti, E. (2020). Teacher and students’ politeness strategies in EFL classroom interactions. Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 259-273. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v4i2.473
Ginting, K. L. V. B., & Pasaribu, A. N. (2023). Teacher and students’ politeness strategies in EFL classroom interactions. IDEAS Journal, 11(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v11i1.3799
Hassan, H., Sapuan, W. N. M., Azmimurad, A. M., & Rostam, N. L. S. (2022). The employment of language politeness strategies in student-lecturer virtual interaction. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(11), 2826 – 2836. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i11/15372
Hennink, M., & Kaiser, B. N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523
Hurst, A. (2023). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A helpful guide for undergraduates and graduate students in the social sciences (1st ed.). Oregon State University.
Ismail, I. A., Bsharat, T. R. K., & Amirbayeva, D. (2024). Vague language: A critical reading. Research, Society and Development, 11(10). e587111033309. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i10.33309
Jumanto, J., & Rahayu, E. (2020). Pondering a global BIPA: Politeness and impoliteness in verbal interactions. Journal of Pragmatic Research, 2(2), 97-112. https://doi.org/10.18326/jopr.v2i2.97-112
Laiche, S. (2024). The use of positive politeness strategies in teacher–student interactions in Algerian classroom. Cognitive studies of language, 1(1), 124-127.
Latrech, A., & Alazzawie, A. (2023). The use of politeness strategies in teacher–student interaction in the Omani EFL classroom. Saudi Journal of Language Studies, 3(2), 102-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJLS-06-2022-0052
Lu'mu, Cahyadi, A., Ramli, M., Ruslan, & Hendryadi. (2023). Perceived related humor in the classroom, student–teacher relationship quality, and engagement: Individual differences in sense of humor among students. Heliyon, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13035
Luthfi, M. (2022). Politeness strategies used by students in classroom interaction. English Education & Applied Linguistics Journal, 5(2), 128-135.
Mahmud, M. (2019). The use of politeness strategies in the classroom context by English university students. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 597-606. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i3.15258
Maslucha, S., Wachidaturrohmah, W., & Daulay, I. K. (2022). Politeness strategies in EFL classroom interactions: A study from a junior high school in the Southeast Asian context. ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching, 11(2), 47-64. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v11i2.67024
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). SAGE Publication.
Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2017). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 1: Introduction. The European journal of general practice, 23(1), 271-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375093
Mourad, L. (2021). Impoliteness and power dynamics in intimate interactions: An analysis of Joe Blann’s ‘Things We Had’. Language and Literature: International Journal of Stylistics, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/09639470211034283
Mulyono, H., Rizki, D., & Suryoputro, G. (2019). Politeness strategies in teacher-student WhatsApp communication. PASAA Journal of language and teaching, 58(1), 295–318.
Murad, A. I., & Jalambo, M. O. (2019). EFL students’ reluctance in participating in English speaking activities at University College of Applied Sciences: Challenges and solutions. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7(3), 28–51. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.73003
Nurmawati, N., Atmowardoyo, H., & Weda, S. (2019). An analysis of positive politeness strategies to promote effective interaction in the classroom. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 2(2), 171–181. https://doi.org/10.34050/els-jish.v2i2.6340
O’Connor, C., & Joffe, H. (2020). Intercoder reliability in qualitative research: Debates and practical guidelines. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919899220
Rahayuningsih, D., Saleh, M., & Fitriati, S. W. (2020). The realization of politeness strategies in EFL teacher-students classroom interaction. English Education Journal, 10(1), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v10i1.33822
Sembiring, E. M., Simanjuntak, F. M. P., Tarigan, K. J., & Silalahi, V. (2023). Politeness in the EFL classroom interaction: Strategies in avoiding face threatening act (FTA). Journal of Classroom Action Research, 1(2), 12-26. https://doi.org/10.52622/jcar.v1i2.73
Sherif, L. (2020). Students' and teachers' perception of rapport management strategies used by teachers. [Master's Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1471/
Spencer-Oatey, H. (2008). Culturally speaking: Culture, communication and politeness theory (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic.
Subedi, K. R. (2021). Determining the sample in qualitative research. Scholars' Journal, 4(2), 1-13.
Suwarni, A., & Bestari, A. (2021). The students’ talk on politeness and impoliteness interaction in classroom. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 622, 146-150. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211226.030
Syting, C. J., & Gildore, P. J. (2022). Teachers’ linguistic politeness in classroom interaction: A pragmatic analysis. World Journal of English Language, 12(8), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n8p133
Syting, C. J. O. (2025). Rapport management framework in classroom interaction: A socio-pragmatic analysis of teachers' utterances. Journal Corner of Education, Linguistics, and Literature, 4(3), 308-318. https://doi.org/10.54012/jcell.v4i3.375
Thompson, J. A. (2020). Reflexive uncertainty: Fieldnotes and emotion in participatory visual research. In C. Burkholder (Ed.), Fieldnotes in qualitative education and social science research: Approaches, practices, and ethical considerations (1st ed., pp. 101–114). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429275821
Urbis, N. A. B., Almachar, J. L. T., & Mariñas, E. M. V. (2022). Politeness strategies in online classroom chats: Its implication in the teaching-learning process. The Asian Journal of Education and Human Development, 3(1), 66-79.
Wijayanti, W., Wijayanto, A., & Marmanto, S. (2020). Native English teacher’s politeness realizations in EFL classroom interaction. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 3(1), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.34050/els-jish.v3i1.9524
Zhang, G. Q. (2022). Vague language from a pragmatic perspective. In I. Kecskes (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Pragmatics (pp. 247-300). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108884303.012