Students’ Use of Generation Alpha Slang in Academic Discussions: A Discourse Analysis on Junior High School Classroom Interactions

Abstract

Generation Alpha, born into a digital and social media-driven environment, frequently integrates slang terms in academic discussions, which creates both opportunities and challenges for English language learning, particularly for English teachers and other learners. This study explored the academic responses of junior high school teachers to the students’ use of Gen Alpha slang in academic discussions. Using a qualitative phenomenological design and discourse analysis, the study examined the teachers' lived experiences in private junior high schools across Region XI and Region XII in Mindanao. Findings reveal that teachers interpret slang as a multifaceted communicative tool for humor, identity, and peer connection, they also discover its potential to disrupt academic rigor and cause miscommunication. Academic responses include modelling academic language, guided reformulation, scaffolding slang into academic concepts, and establishing contextual boundaries to balance student expression with formal standards. Teachers effectively acknowledge students’ linguistic creativity while guiding them towards academic standards, utilizing slang as a means to foster engagement and sociolinguistic significance. This research finds that although Gen Alpha slang presents difficulties in maintaining academic conversations and discussions, it can be used as a scholarly tool when framed correctly, thereby promoting students’ active involvement, engagement, focus, and language awareness in the classroom.