Investigation of the degree of perceived face threat in low, medium, and high face threat situations regarding politeness theory in Iranian EFL contexts

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the degree of perceived face threat in three different situations namely low, medium, and high face threat situations with respect to politeness theory in Iranian EFL Contexts. To obtain this purpose, 140 undergraduate students including 70 males and 70 females majoring in English literature, translation and teaching from Sheik-Bahai University were selected. This sample was chosen by means of stratified random sampling procedure. A questionnaire was utilized as the instrument to examine the degree of perceived face threat in three aforementioned situations. The data gathered by means of the questionnaire were analyzed to find out the answer to the research question. In general, the findings revealed that there was a statistically significant difference among students' performance in perceived face threat scenarios.