Abstract
Politeness is essential in maintaining communication, showing respect for others, and building communicative interactions and positive atmospheres between speakers. The importance of politeness strategies in classroom interactions has been widely discussed to determine their positive influence on student performance during teaching and learning activities. This article aims to identify the types and forms of politeness strategies used by both teachers and students in EFL classes and analyze the challenges and opportunities for implementing effective politeness strategies in EFL classes. This study uses a descriptive-qualitative approach with an interpretation approach to data in the form of speech from teachers and students. Data sources are phrases and sentences in all interactions and teaching and learning activities in English language course classes. Data were collected through classroom observations at EFL English courses for junior high schools in Yogyakarta. The techniques used in data collection were direct classroom observation, listening, and taking notes. The collected data were re-validated by re-watching the recording of the learning in the class and checking the data using the transcription method. The data were analyzed by identifying the types of politeness that emerged from the speech used by teachers and students in interacting. The indicated types of politeness expressions were then classified into types of politeness. The classified data were then further interpreted in the pedagogical context and its influence on the learning process and outcomes. The results of the data analysis and interpretation showed the potential and challenges for teachers in utilizing politeness strategies to encourage student performance in English learning classes.
Keywords
EFL classroom; politeness; strategy