Directive Speech Acts in Classroom Interaction at an Islamic University

This study aimed to identify the types and functions of directive speech acts used by lecturers in English speaking classes at an Islamic university. Grounded in Searle’s theory of directive speech acts, this study employed a qualitative descriptive case study. The data were obtained from four lecturers of the English Education Study Program through their responses to a Written Discourse Completion Task consisting of ten classroom-based scenarios. The responses were analyzed using Searle’s classification of directive speech acts. The findings revealed four types of directive speech acts: commanding (16 utterances), ordering (13 utterances), requesting (9 utterances), and suggesting (2 utterances), while inviting was not identified. Three functions were identified: ordering someone to do something (16 utterances), requesting someone to do something (14 utterances), and commanding someone to do something (10 utterances). Commanding and ordering were the most dominant types, indicating that lecturers primarily employed direct directives to manage classroom activities, maintain discipline, and achieve instructional objectives. These findings contribute to pragmatics by expanding the understanding of directive speech acts in classroom interaction and provide practical insights for lecturers to employ more balanced directive strategies in English speaking classes.