Gendered Slang as a Sociolinguistic Practice and Social Interaction Dynamics: An Analysis of Gender Bias among Female Students in Higher Education

Abstract

This study examined the structural relationships among psychological domains, frequency of usage, psychological well-being, social interaction, response behavior, psychological response, and interaction avoidance among female students in a public sector university. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 224 respondents selected through proportionate random sampling from social sciences departments. A structured questionnaire was used as the primary data collection instrument. Prior to the main study, pilot testing was conducted on 30 female students, and the reliability of the instrument was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha values exceeding 0.700. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test hypothesized relationships and evaluate the direct and indirect effects among variables. The findings revealed that psychological domains and frequency of usage significantly influence social interaction. Psychological well-being, frequency of usage, and psychological domains were found to significantly affect response behavior. Furthermore, response behavior, social interaction, and psychological response were identified as key predictors of interaction avoidance. Additionally, psychological domains and psychological well-being significantly influenced interaction avoidance. The study concludes that female students’ social and behavioral outcomes are strongly shaped by interconnected psychological and usage-related factors. The SEM model demonstrated robust explanatory power in understanding these dynamics within higher education settings, highlighting the importance of psychological support and healthy interaction patterns.