Influence of Euphemistic Texts on Students’ Corrupt Communication Usage, Empathy and Prejudice

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study investigated the influence of euphemistic texts (words used to substitute unethical, taboo, or harsh expressions) on the corrupt communication usage, empathy and prejudice levels of 39 education students. The participants, who were purposively chosen, were exposed to selected euphemistic texts for three months. The study utilized three validated researcher-made instruments for data gathering. The descriptive statistics, t-test for dependent sample, and Pearson’s r obtained the quantitative results. The interview, observation, and journal writing were utilized to gather further information. Findings showed that using euphemistic texts diminished the participants’ corrupt communication usage, maintained higher level of empathy and lowered their prejudice level. Avoiding harsh expressions was the most common manifestation of changed behavior among the participants. The study suggests that using euphemistic texts may be an effective alternative strategy in developing higher empathy level and minimizing prejudice, especially in lowering the extent of corrupt communication usage of the participants while speaking.