(Im)politeness for Students. A Case Study

Abstract

This study aims to raise awareness of pragmatic failure in language learning; nonetheless, current English pedagogy typically explores new methodologies in enhancing accuracy and fluency -ultimately the primary goals of language instruction- it overlooks the critical role of interpersonal and sociocultural factors that shape how students perceive and engage with different cultures. For a change in this paradigm, teachers require tools to have a clearer insight of these dynamics and how students can be directed towards a self-evaluation of the sociocultural language barrier that they have. To address this need, I have designed two questionnaires to assess the most commonly employed strategies by students, teachers, and parents. Additionally, the questionnaires include questions encouraging students to reflect on the methods used by their teachers and parents. While the statistical findings of this study (interpretation for the answers from Questionnaire 1) may not be universally applicable to all teachers, they provide a model for interpreting responses and offer valuable insights into the interplay between language learning and sociocultural perceptions.