DefinePK

Research Objective

To investigate the use of compliment responses in English by university students of English in Pakistan and to explore the differences in the frequency of use between male and female respondents.

Methodology

A mixed-method research design was employed. Data was collected using a Discourse Completion Test (DCT) administered to 100 Master's level students (50 male, 50 female) from four public sector universities in Pakistan. The DCT consisted of four situational items designed to elicit compliment responses. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, including frequencies, using SPSS (IBM 23), based on Holmes' (1988, 1993) categories of compliment responses.

Methodology Flowchart

                        graph TD
    A[Develop Discourse Completion Test DCT] --> B[Select Participants: 100 Master's students from 4 universities];
    B --> C[Administer DCT];
    C --> D[Collect Responses];
    D --> E[Code and Save Data in Excel];
    E --> F[Analyze Data using SPSS Descriptive Statistics & Frequencies];
    F --> G[Interpret Results based on Holmes' Categories];
    G --> H[Draw Conclusions and Discuss Findings];                    

Discussion

The findings suggest that Pakistani university students of English tend to be polite, readily accepting compliments and using evasion strategies when acceptance is inconvenient, rarely resorting to rejection. The limited use of certain micro strategies indicates a potential lack of pragmatic ability and understanding of different compliment response situations in English, possibly due to insufficient pragmatic instruction in ESL classrooms. The lack of significant gender differences might be attributed to the linguistic homogeneity of the participants.

Key Findings

All three macro compliment response strategies (Accept, Evade, Reject) were used by the students. The most preferred macro strategy was Accept, followed by Evade, and then Reject. Appreciation token was the most preferred micro strategy across all four situational settings (Appearance, Character, Ability, Possessions). There were no sharp differences observed in the use of compliment response strategies between male and female respondents. Only three out of twelve micro strategies (Appreciation token, Agreeing utterance, Return compliment) were frequently used, while Question Accuracy and Legitimate Evasion were not used by any respondent.

Conclusion

University students of English in Pakistan utilize all macro compliment response strategies, with a strong preference for acceptance. There is no significant gender-based difference in their compliment response strategies. The frequent use of only a few micro strategies suggests a need to develop L2 pragmatic ability in English among these students.

Fact Check

1. Sample Size: The study sampled 100 Master's level students, comprising 50 males and 50 females.
2. Number of Universities: Data was collected from four public sector universities in Pakistan.
3. Most Preferred Micro Strategy: Appreciation token was identified as the most preferred micro compliment response strategy.

Mind Map