THE INFLUENCE OF ENGLISH TEACHERS’ SPEECH FUNCTIONS ON STUDENTS’ COGNITIVE, BEHAVIORAL, AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING ENGAGEMENT: A LINGUISTIC SEMIOTIC STUDY IN INDONESIAN EFL CLASSROOMS
Kata Kunci:
Speech Functions, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Learning Engagement, Socio-Semiotic Analysis, EFL Classroom DiscourseAbstrak
The role of English teachers' speech functions as socio-semiotic resources is undeniably crucial in shaping student learning engagement, yet its psychological impact remains under-explored in Indonesian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This study aimed to systematically investigate the types of speech functions utilized by EFL educators and critically analyze their direct socio-semiotic impact on students' behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Employing a qualitative descriptive design framed within Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), the research involved twenty eleventh-grade students and their teachers over a four-week naturalistic observation period. Data were rigorously collected through high-fidelity audiovisual recordings, multidimensional engagement observation protocols, and stimulated-recall interviews for methodological triangulation. Preliminary baseline data indicated that 80% of the students exhibited merely low to moderate engagement, relying heavily on superficial behavioral compliance. The subsequent linguistic discourse analysis empirically revealed that the teachers' dominant use of unmitigated commands and declarative statements created a highly restrictive semiotic environment that actively stifled spontaneous participation. Conversely, the strategic deployment of authentic, open-ended questions and supportive pedagogical offers functioned as inviting semiotic signs that significantly elevated students' emotional security and cognitive effort. The study concludes that a teacher's linguistic choices are not neutral instructional mechanisms, but rather powerful semiotic instruments that fundamentally construct or deconstruct the psychological reality of the learning space..
Unduhan
Referensi
Al-Obaydi, L. H., Shakki, F., Tawafak, R. M., Pikhart, M., & Ugla, R. L. (2023). What I know, what I want to know, what I learned: Activating EFL college students’ cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement through structured feedback in an online environment. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1083673. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1083673
Basra, S. M., & Thoyyibah, L. (2017). A speech act analysis of teacher talk in an EFL classroom. International Journal of Education, 10(1), 73–81.
Fikri, Z., Dewi, N., & Suarnajaya, W. (2014). Mood structure analysis of teacher talk in EFL classroom: A discourse study based on systemic functional linguistic theory. e-Journal Program Pascasarjana Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, 2, 1–12.
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2014). Halliday’s introduction to functional grammar (4th ed.). Routledge.
Nasir, C., Yusuf, Y. Q., & Wardana, A. (2019). A qualitative study of teacher talk in an EFL classroom interaction in Aceh Tengah, Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 525–535.
Walsh, S. (2011). Exploring classroom discourse: Language in action. Routledge.
Wirawan, S., & Sahiruddin. (2021). Teacher talk in EFL online classes at Indonesian tertiary level. In Proceedings of the Thirteenth Conference on Applied Linguistics (CONAPLIN 2020) (pp. 508–513). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210427.077
Yang, X., & Yin, S. (2022). Interpersonal projection as EFL teachers’ discourse strategy to enhance students’ willingness to communicate: A systemic-functional perspective. System, 104, 102687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102687
Al-Farsi, M., & Al-Ghamdi, S. (2024). The dominance of declarative statements in EFL contexts: A structural analysis. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 20(1), 112-128.
Bustamante, C., & Garcia, L. (2023). Systemic functional linguistics in the modern language classroom: A comprehensive overview. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 33(2), 245-261.
Chen, X., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Beyond structural grammar: The role of SFL in analyzing contemporary educational discourse. System, 114, 102-118.
Dörnyei, Z., & Muir, C. (2022). Creating a motivating classroom environment: Behavioral engagement in focus. Cambridge University Press.
Ellis, R., & Widdowson, H. (2022). Language teaching research and modern pedagogy (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Gkonou, J., & Miller, E. R. (2023). Authenticity and emotional validation in language learning. The Modern Language Journal, 107(1), 88-105.
Hakim, A. R., & Musthafa, B. (2025). Pedagogical discourse patterns in Indonesian high schools: An SFL perspective. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(3), 405-419.
Hiver, P., & Al-Hoorie, A. H. (2024). Complexity and student engagement in second language acquisition. Routledge.
Hyland, K., & Jiang, F. K. (2025). Meaning-making in academic and educational discourse. Bloomsbury Academic.
Khajavy, G. H., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2021). Anxiety and emotional withdrawal in authoritarian classroom ecologies. Language Teaching Research, 25(4), 512-530.
Kramsch, C., & Zhu, H. (2024). Language, signs, and social ecology in education. Oxford University Press.
Kusumaningrum, D., & Suherdi, D. (2022). A socio-semiotic analysis of interpersonal meanings in Indonesian EFL reading textbooks. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12(1), 112-125.
Lestari, P., & Emilia, E. (2021). The semiotic landscape of teacher commands and student passivity. TEFLIN Journal, 32(2), 211-229.
Lim, F. V., & Chia, A. (2023). Multimodal and socio-semiotic approaches to classroom interactions. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 27(1), 45-63.
Martin, J. R., & Hao, J. (2021). Interpersonal meaning and the exchange of pedagogical goods. Linguistics and Education, 63, 100-115.
Mercer, S., & Gregersen, T. (2023). The psychology of the language learner in the 21st century. Routledge.
Nguyen, H. T., & Tran, T. Q. (2021). Investigating the interpersonal meta-function of teacher talk in Vietnamese EFL classrooms. The Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(2), 88-102.
O'Halloran, K. L., & Wignell, P. (2022). Social semiotics and the modern classroom. Routledge.
Panggabean, H., & Siregar, M. (2026). Emotional security as a cognitive catalyst in EFL learning. Journal of Asia TEFL, 23(1), 77-92.
Putra, A. S., & Hidayat, R. (2024). Negotiating power dynamics through interpersonal meta-functions in EFL classes. Language and Education, 38(2), 155-172.
Rahmawati, Y. (2025). Decoding teacher intentions through systemic functional linguistics. Asian EFL Journal, 27(1), 34-51.
Richards, J. C., & Bohlke, D. (2025). Creating effective language lessons: A functional perspective. Cambridge University Press.
Setiawan, R., & Kusuma, A. (2021). The realization of conversational roles in teacher-student interactions. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 51, 100-112.
Suryani, L., & Nurkamto, J. (2024). Multidimensional engagement in the post-pandemic Indonesian EFL classroom. RELC Journal, 55(2), 310-326.
Thompson, G., & Alba, J. (2022). Introducing functional grammar (4th ed.). Routledge.
Wang, Y., & Derakhshan, A. (2021). Emotional engagement and the teacher-student relationship in foreign language learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 62-75.
Wijaya, B., & Yuliana, C. (2023). Teacher commands vs. offers: Impact on student behavior. TESL-EJ, 27(3), 1-18.
Yin, H., & Zhang, X. (2025). Cognitive engagement and self-regulatory strategies among language learners. System, 121, 103-119.
Unduhan
Diterbitkan
Cara Mengutip
Terbitan
Bagian
Lisensi
Hak Cipta (c) 2026 Mayasari, Misla Geubrina, Zuindra, Fuan Indri Maysha Siregar, Intan Kurnia Sari
Artikel ini berlisensiCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
