Exploring Teacher’s Views on Linguistic Politeness of Students Across Communication Media

This study explored teachers’ views on students’ linguistic politeness across face-to-face and digital communication media within educational settings. Guided by a qualitative research design, the study sought to examine how students’ politeness practices differ across communication contexts and how teachers interpret these differences amid the increasing integration of digital technologies in education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers from selected secondary schools in the Philippines who had extensive experience interacting with students both in person and through digital platforms such as emails, messaging applications, and social media. The findings revealed that students generally adhered to expected norms of politeness in face-to-face interactions, where verbal and non-verbal cues such as tone, gestures, and eye contact supported clearer expressions of respect. In contrast, teachers reported greater difficulty interpreting politeness in digital communication due to the absence of non-verbal signals, the asynchronous nature of online interactions, and the prevalence of informal language influenced by casual internet culture. These challenges often led to ambiguity and misunderstandings regarding students’ intentions. Teachers also emphasized their active role in guiding students toward appropriate language use, particularly in digital contexts, to maintain respectful and effective communication. The study highlights the importance of explicitly teaching pragmatic language skills and digital communication etiquette to support students’ linguistic politeness across communication media. It further underscores the need for pedagogical strategies that address the evolving demands of communication in increasingly digitalized educational environments.