A Study of Refusal Strategy in English by the Students of Department of English Language Education

ABSTRACT
The refusal strategies produced by both native English speakers and non-native English speakers have been a prominent area of interest for many researchers. Refusal is a face threatening act (FTA) for it can risk the face of persons in the interaction (the speaker and the hearer). However, it is found that very few studies concerning refusal strategy in English had been conducted in Indonesian setting especially in Aceh. Aimed to explore foreign language learners’ pattern of refusal, the current study is carried out with two research questions as the focus, which are (1) to seek the refusal strategies applied by the students at the Department of English Language Education of UIN Ar-Raniry and (2)to find out whether the students are aware of the power status of the interlocutor. This study is based on mixed-method approach. The writer used triangulation in obtaining the data needed which is to cross validate data from different sources for the similar phenomenon . They are the Discourse Completion Test and interview. The participants taking part in this study are 10 senior students in Department of English Language Education of UIN Ar-Raniry. They were selected based on the accomplishment of speaking and Discourse Analysis subjects. The result of this study showed that the participants frequently applied indirect strategy when refusing regardless the person’s power status. They use it not only to interact with higher status person but also to the lower status. Furthermore, they are also aware of the different power status of the interlocutor they are speaking to.