An Analysis of Directive Speech Acts Used by Pre-Service English Teachers During Teaching Practicum

Oleh :
Sekar Ashari Santoso - K2222081 - Fak. KIP

Sekar Ashari Santoso, K2222081. Supervisor: Teguh Sarosa, S.S., M.Hum. AN ANALYSIS OF DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACTS USED BY PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS DURING TEACHING PRACTICUM Thesis, Surakarta: Teacher Training and Education Faculty of Universitas Sebelas Maret, 2026 This study aims to identify the types of directive speech acts used by pre service English teachers during teaching practicum and to analyze the functions of those directive speech acts in classroom interaction. Employing a descriptive qualitative design with qualitative content analysis, the study examined directive utterances produced by two pre-service English teachers (PST 1 and PST 2) during their teaching practicum (PLP) at a vocational high school in Surakarta, teaching Procedure Text and Descriptive Text respectively. The data were obtained from teaching video recordings and analyzed through three stages: coding, tabulation, and interpretation. The directive speech acts were classified into five types based on Searle's (1976, 1979) theory of speech acts, operationalized through Searle and Vanderveken's (1985) classification of directive illocutionary verbs, while the functions were analyzed using Amalsaleh and Yarmohammadi (2010) framework as adapted by Suryandani and Budasi (2021). Trustworthiness was established through prolonged engagement, persistent observation, and member checking with both participants. The findings revealed 109 directive utterances in total, with commanding as the most dominant type and advising as the least frequent, while instruction emerged as the most dominant function and threat as the least frequent. These findings indicate that directive speech acts were used not only to control students, but also to organize learning tasks, elicit responses, provide guidance, maintain focus, and reinforce classroom expectations. The study concludes that directive speech acts play a significant pedagogical role in helping pre-service English teachers manage classroom interaction and support student learning during teaching practicum. These findings provide insights into the communicative patterns of pre-service English teachers and may contribute to English language teacher education, particularly in preparing pre-service teachers for effective classroom communication.