Analyzing Politeness Strategies in Students’ Directive Speech Acts: Evidence from an Indonesian Teacher Education Context

Abstract

Politeness in directive speech is essential for prospective teachers because it reflects their ability to communicate professionally in academic and instructional settings. However, studies examining politeness strategies in the academic interactions of Indonesian teacher-education students remain limited. This study investigated the politeness levels and directive speech strategies employed by students of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at Universitas Muhammadiyah Palembang.The study employed a qualitative descriptive design supported by quantitative data. Fifty students participated in a Discourse Completion Test containing academic communication situations. Their responses were examined to identify politeness levels, directive strategies, and linguistic devices used to reduce the force of directives.The findings indicated that 20% of the students demonstrated a “very good†level of politeness, while 40% were classified as “good.†Indirect directive strategies and linguistic mitigation were the most frequently employed approaches. These strategies enabled students to express requests, suggestions, and instructions while minimizing potential threats to the interlocutor’s face. Nevertheless, the variation in politeness levels suggests that some students still require further development in selecting contextually appropriate expressions.The findings demonstrate the importance of integrating pragmatic competence and directive politeness into teacher-education curricula. Explicit instruction and contextual communication practice may strengthen prospective teachers’ ability to manage interpersonal relationships and communicate professionally in future classroom environments.