Negative Politeness Strategies in Jordanian EFL Textbook Dialogs:  A Content Analysis of Action Pack 5 through 10

Ruba Fahmi Bataineh; Fatima A. Salman; Hydaya J  Al.Roumi; Rabya Sh Al.Jawarneh; Amani G Shkour; Sherin Adnan Okour; Dina A. Al- Jamal

doi:10.29333/ejecs/1762

Authors

Ruba Fahmi Bataineh Al-Ahliyya Amman University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5454-2206
Fatima A. Salman Yarmouk Univerity https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2560-4297
Hydaya J Al.Roumi https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5208-255X
Rabya Sh Al.Jawarneh Yarmouk Univerity https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3409-7908
Amani G Shkour https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6173-6432
Sherin Adnan Okour Yarmouk Univerity https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0018-8935
Dina A. Al Jamal Yarmouk Univerity https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0623-4604

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1762

Keywords:

content analysis, dialogs, Jordan, negative politeness, textbooks

Abstract

Social, humane and cultural values mandate that a certain level of politeness in day-to-day exchanges be maintained. Therefore, politeness strategies are among the first language functions taught in foreign language curricula. This study examines the inclusion of negative politeness strategies in the dialogs of the prescribed Jordanian English as a foreign language textbook, Action Pack, for grades 5 through ten. The content analysis is informed by the theoretical principles of politeness theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987). The dialogs in the fifth- through tenth-grade textbooks were content analyzed for speech acts denoting negative politeness, using both qualitative and quantitative measures. The analysis commenced with coding, after which the occurrences were identified and tallied per the codes. Ten negative politeness strategies were identified in addition to one, which comprised an amalgamation of two of these strategies in one speech act. The findings revealed that Jordanian Action Pack textbooks included more negative politeness strategies in grades 5 and 6 than in grades 7, 8, 9, and 10, with being indirect and using questions to reduce imposition and offense as the most frequent.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Ruba Fahmi Bataineh, Al-Ahliyya Amman University

Ruba Fahmi Bataineh is a professor of TESOL at the Department of English and Translation, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the director of the Language Center at Al-Ahliyya Amman University (on sabbatical leave from the Department of Curriculum and Methods of Instruction at Yarmouk University), Jordan.

Fatima A. Salman, Yarmouk Univerity

Fatima AbdulKareem Salman, a PhD candidate in TEFL at the Department of Curriculum and Methods of Instruction at Yarmouk University, Jordan, has worked as a university lecturer, teacher and translator for eighteen years in Jordan and Oman.

Hydaya J Al.Roumi

Hydayah Jobran ALRoumi, a PhD candidate in TEFL at the Department of Curriculum and Methods of Instruction at Yarmouk University, Jordan, is currently a teacher at the Ministry of Education.

Rabya Sh Al.Jawarneh , Yarmouk Univerity

Rabya Sha’ban Al Jawarneh a PhD candidate in TEFL at the Department of Curriculum and Methods of Instruction at Yarmouk University, Jordan, is currently a part-ime instructor at the University of Jordan.

Amani G Shkour

Amani Ghazi Shkour is a PhD candidate in TEFL at the Department of Curriculum and Methods of Instruction at Yarmouk University, Jordan.

Sherin Adnan Okour, Yarmouk Univerity

Sherin Adnan Okour is a PhD candidate in TEFL at the Department of Curriculum and Methods of Instruction at Yarmouk University, Jordan.

Dina A. Al Jamal , Yarmouk Univerity

Dina AbdulHameed Al-Jamal is a professor of TEFL at the Department of Curriculum and Methods of Instruction at Yarmouk University, Jordan.

References

Abed, E., & Al-Absi, M. (2015). Content analysis of Jordanian elementary textbooks during 1970-2013 as case study. International Education Studies, 8(3), 159-166. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v8n3p159 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v8n3p159

Al Omari, T., Bataineh, R., & Smadi, O. (2015). Potential inclusion of multiple intelligences in Jordanian EFL textbooks: A content analysis. Bellaterra Journal of Teaching and Learning Language and Literature, 8(1), 60-80. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/jtl3.597 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/jtl3.597

Alemi, M., & Razzaghi, S. (2013). Politeness markers in English for business purposes textbook. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 2(4), 109-123. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2012.191 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2012.191

Alhaded, H., & Shavtikova, A. (2021). Strategies of negative politeness in Jordanian and American academic discourses. Proceedings of INTCESS 2021 8th International Conference on Education and Education of Social Sciences (pp. 147-152). https://www.ocerints.org/intcess21_e-publication/papers/90.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.51508/intcess.202190

Alhasan, R. F., & Alhasan, R. F. (2022). Jordanian students’ difficulties in speaking English language in the class. Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, 10(4), 45-48. https://www.questjournals.org/jrhss/papers/vol10-issue4/Ser-4/H10044548.pdf

Al-Khazaleh, S. (2020). A content analysis of the authenticity of the reading texts in the seventh grade EFL book in Jordan. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 7(3), 977-990. https://iojet.org/index.php/ IOJET/article/view/872

Al-Smadi, S., Bataineh, R., & AlHawamdeh, M. (2021). A content analysis of the pronunciation and spelling activities in Action Pack 10. Jordan Journal of Applied Sciences, 28(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.35192/jjoas-h.v28i2.68 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35192/jjoas-h.v28i2.68

Arini, D. N., Hidayat, F., Winarti, A., & Rosalina, E. (2022). Artificial intelligence (AI)-based mobile learning in ELT for EFL learners: The implementation and learners’ attitudes. International Journal of Educational Studies in Social Sciences, 2(2), 88-95. https://lighthouse-pub.com/ijesss/article/view/170/119 DOI: https://doi.org/10.53402/ijesss.v2i2.40

Astuti, S. (2022). Politeness strategies represented in an English textbook for senior high school [Unpublished masters’ thesis]. Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. https://dspace.uii.ac.id/ handle/123456789/37934

Austin, J. (1962). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press.

Bagheri Nevisi, R., & Moghadasi, A. (2020). Content analysis of Iranian high school English textbooks in terms of politeness markers, speech acts, and language functions. Issues in Language Teaching, 9(2), 155-184. https://doi.org/10.22054/ilt.2021.54493.529

Bataineh, R. F., Al-Rabadi, R. Y., & Smadi, O. M. (2013). Fostering Jordanian university students’ communicative performance through literature-based instruction. TESOL Journal, 4(4), 655-673. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.61 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.61

Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1978). Universals in language usage: Politeness phenomena. In E. N. Goody (Ed.), Questions and politeness: Strategies in social interaction (pp. 56-311). Cambridge University Press.

Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813085

Candrawati, P., Seken, I., & Nitiasih, P. (2014). Sociocultural aspects representation: A content analysis on an EFL e-textbook for the twelfth graders in Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Indonesia, 2(1). https://media.neliti.com/media/ publications/119103-EN-sociocultural-aspects-representation-a-c.pdf.

Denscombe, M. (2010). The good research guide: For small-scale social research projects (4th ed.). Open University Press.

Goffman, E. (1955). On face-work: An analysis of ritual elements in social interaction. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 18, 213-231.

Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction ritual: Essays on face-to-face behavior. Anchor Books. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1955.11023008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1955.11023008

Hill, B., Ide, S., Ikuta, S., Kawasaki, A., & Ogino, T. (1986). Universals of linguistic politeness: Quantitative evidence from Japanese and American English. Journal of Pragmatics, 10(3), 347-371. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-2166(86)90006-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-2166(86)90006-8

Huth, T. (2020). Interaction, language use, and second language teaching. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003017356

Huwari, I. F. (2019). Problems faced by Jordanian undergraduate students in speaking English. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 8(9), 203-217. https://www.ijicc.net/images/vol8iss9/8915_Huwari_ 2019_E_R.pdf

Ishihara, N., & Cohen, A. (2021). Teaching and learning pragmatics: Where language and culture meet. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003168188

Kasper, G. (1997). Can pragmatic competence be taught? (NetWork #6) University of Hawai’i, Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center. http://www.nflrc.hawaii.edu/NetWorks/NW06/

Kubota, R. (2016). Neoliberal paradoxes of language learning: Xenophobia and international communication. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 37(5), 467-480. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2015.1071825 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2015.1071825

Lakoff, R. (1989). The limits of politeness: Therapeutic and courtroom discourse. Multilingua, 8(2-3), 101-129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.1989.8.2-3.101

Leech, G. (1983). Principles of pragmatics. Longman.

Lotfi, S., Sarkeshikian, S., & Daryaie, H. (2020). A corpus-based comparative evaluation of internationally published vs. locally designed EFL textbooks regarding politeness strategy teaching: Interchange vs. Prospect. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research, 8(3), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.24200/jsshr.vol8iss3pp1-6

Maqableh, R., & Al-Jamal, D. (2023). The affective domain in English language primary stage reading texts in Jordan: A content analysis. International Journal of Psychological and Educational Research, 2(1), Article 86. https://www.ijoper.com/index.php/ijoper/article/view/86

Mashoor, B. B., & Bin Abdullah, A. T. (2020). Error analysis of spoken English language among Jordanian secondary school students. International Journal of Education and Research, 8(5), 75–82. https://www.ijern.com/journal/ 2020/May-2020/07.pdf

Meiratnasari, A., Wijayanto, A., & Suparno, S. (2019). An analysis of politeness strategies in Indonesian English textbooks. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 2(4), 529-540. https://doi.org/10.34050/els-jish.v2i4.8393 DOI: https://doi.org/10.34050/els-jish.v2i4.8393

Moyo, M. (2022). Designing textbooks for an indigenous language: The case of Namibia. Journal of Language Teaching, 2(7), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2022.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2022.007

Olimat, S.N. (2020). COVID-19 Pandemic: Euphemism and dysphemism in Jordanian Arabic. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 20(3), 268-290. http://doi.org/10. 17576/gema-2020-2003-16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2020-2003-16

Pienaar, E. (2021). The language of climate change: A comparative multimodal analysis of primary school science textbooks in Hong Kong and Australia [Unpublished masters’ thesis]. University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.

Rababah, M., Harun, M., & Shapii, A. (2019). Imperatives in hotel service encounter: The case of Jordanian learners of English. European Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies, 2(1), 114-139. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3470113

Richards, J. C. (2001). The role of textbooks in a language program. http://www.professorjack richards.com/pdfs/role-of-textbooks.pdf.

Taguchi, N., & Roever, C. (2017). Second language pragmatics. Oxford University Press.

Ton Nu, A. T., & Murray, J. (2020). Pragmatic content in EFL textbooks: An investigation into Vietnamese national teaching materials. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language (TESL-EJ), 24(3), 1-28. http://www.tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej95/a8.pdf.

Wattananukij, W., & Pongpairoj, N. (2022). Interlanguage pragmatics: An investigation of pragmatic transfer in responses to English tag questions by L1 Thai learners. REFLections, 29(1), 38-59. https://so05.tcithaijo.org/index.php/reflections/article/ view/ 258474. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61508/refl.v29i1.258474

Weninger, C. (2021). Multimodality in critical language textbook analysis. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 34(2), 133-146. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318. 2020.1797083. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.1797083

Yule, G. (1996). Pragmatics. Oxford University.