International students' use of politeness strategies and compliance-gaining in a United States university classroom: A qualitative case study

The purpose of this study was to determine how international students employ politeness strategies to gain compliance in a United States university classroom and why they select and use particular strategies in specific compliance-gaining situations. The results of the study indicate that international students use politeness strategies in compliance-gaining situations with fluency and variety in the United States university classroom. This confirms what Brown and Levinson (1987) discerned with their studies. The results of the study revealed that when a competent international student begins the process of politeness strategy selection, he/she will weigh the two variables of power and intrusiveness. This study informs us that power and intrusiveness are more important than the intimacy variable when choosing a politeness strategy. Additionally, the results of the study indicated that five specific behavior patterns may impede successful intercultural communication attempts. Finally, the results of this study may prove to be useful information for our classroom instructors who are seeking ways to reduce misunderstandings and to increase the educational experience for all interactants.