Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of Politeness Strategies in Indonesian EFL Classroom

Abstract

This study investigates teachers’ and students’ perceptions of politeness strategies in Indonesian EFL classrooms. The research aims to explore perceptions regarding politeness in language use and identify factors influencing those perceptions in classroom communication. This study employed a descriptive qualitative design involving two teachers and three students at a senior high school in Indramayu, Indonesia, using purposive sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interview, analysed using Miles and Huberman’s qualitative analysis framework, supported by Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory and Spencer-Oatey’s theory of politeness. The findings revealed that both teachers and students perceived politeness as important in classroom interaction. Positive politeness and negative politeness were the most frequently preferred strategies. However, differences emerged regarding certain strategies, several factors influenced perceptions of politeness, including cultural and social media influences, communication misunderstandings, changing student behaviour, EFL context and language awareness, and efforts to improve politeness. Overall, the study highlights the importance of explicitly teaching and modelling politeness strategies and pragmatic awareness to support effective and harmonious communication in Indonesian EFL classrooms.