DIRECT SPEECH ACTS OF LEADERS IN EDUCATION: POWER, PURPOSE, AND PEDAGOGICAL IMPACT
Keywords:
Direct speech acts, Educational leadership, Communication, Authority, AccountabilityAbstract
This article examines the role of direct speech acts in educational leadership and their influence on institutional effectiveness, professional relationships, and pedagogical outcomes. Drawing on speech act theory developed by J. L. Austin and John Searle, the study analyzes how educational leaders use directives, declarations, commissives, assertives, and expressives to enact authority, communicate expectations, and shape school culture. The paper highlights the advantages of direct communication, including clarity, accountability, and efficiency, while also addressing potential risks such as perceptions of authoritarianism and cultural misinterpretation. Special attention is given to cross-cultural considerations and ethical dimensions of leadership discourse. The article concludes that strategic and context-sensitive use of direct speech acts enhances communicative competence and strengthens educational leadership practice.
References
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