Complaining Strategies by Jordanian Male and Female Students at BAU

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the similarities and differences of complaining strategies between Jordanian male and female students at Al-Balqa Applied University (henceforth, BAU). It also examines how the participants’ gender influences the complaining strategies produced by them. A modified version of the Discourse Completion Test (DCT) proposed by Zhang (2001) was used as a data collection instrument. The questionnaire was then translated into Arabic to make sure that the participants truly understand the situations. Next, data were mainly analysed based on Trosborg’s (1994) classification system. Results revealed that there are similarities and differences between the two groups of participants. For example, both male and female students produced the same complaining strategies. Yet, they differ in their preference and frequency use of these strategies. For example, male students used more direct accusation complaints compared to their female counterparts. Results also showed that the social dimensions of social status and social distance of the addressee have influenced the participants’ responses in terms of the level of directness and their use of different politeness strategies. In other words, the participants tended to use less direct strategies with their professors (higher social status). Moreover, the participants tended to use more direct strategies with their classmates (close) than a service person (stranger). Results also revealed that gender has influenced the choice of complaining strategies and politeness. The study concludes with a discussion of pedagogical implications and directions for future research.