The Influence of Language Politeness on the Effectiveness of Student Communication in Academic Discussions and Gender-Based Politeness Differences

Abstract

This research aims to determine the effect of politeness on the effectiveness of student communication in academic discussions and to describe the comparison of politeness between male and female students. This study uses a quantitative approach with correlational methods and simple linear regression. The subjects of the study were 60 students of Galuh University who were selected by purposive sampling. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire that had been tested for validity and reliability. The results of the analysis showed that there was a positive relationship between politeness in speaking and the effectiveness of student communication with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.431 and a significance of p <0.05. Simple linear regression analysis produced the equation Y = 38.95 + 0.464X which showed that each increase in politeness in speaking units would increase communication effectiveness by 0.464 units. The R-Squared value = 0.186 indicates that 18.6% of the variation in communication effectiveness can be explained by politeness in speaking, while the rest is influenced by other factors. Thus, this study confirms that politeness in speaking has a significant influence on the effectiveness of students' communication in academic discussions, although there are other factors that play a role. In addition, the average score of female students was higher (78.49) than male students (75.44). These findings provide important implications for the development of communication skills of students (both male and female) to be more polite in conveying ideas so as to create a more conducive and productive academic environment.