Directives as strategies for building teacher identity: Enhancing collaborative classroom interactions

Abstract

This study is theoretically grounded in interactional sociolinguistics, drawing specifically on speech act theory and politeness strategies to discuss how language choices negotiate social relations. It investigates classroom power dynamics by analyzing how teachers construct identities with directive speech acts. The research employs an ethnographic microanalysis to analyze discourse in a video-recorded interaction in a Portuguese as a foreign language (PFL) classroom for Chinese learners at a university in Macau. This methodological approach allows for a fine-grained examination of the linguistic design of directives and their impact on classroom interaction. The analysis reveals that the teacher strategically wields directives to enact interconnected identity positions, each shaping a distinct power dynamic: a negotiatory authority that mitigates institutional power by transforming directives into dialogic contracts; a collaborative facilitator that redistributes power by sharing epistemic authority and fostering co-participation; and an affective motivator that leverages relational power to build solidarity and ensure an emotionally safe environment. The study concludes that directives are a linguistic mechanism for the continuous recalibration of power in the classroom. Power is not merely asserted but is interactively negotiated through these identity positions, co-constructing specific classroom orders (e.g. collective responsibility, shared decision-making). This underscores that teacher identity is a pragmatic achievement with significant implications for fostering equitable and participatory learning environments.