An Analysis of Illocutionary Acts Used by Ron Clark in Classroom Interactions in the Movie the Ron Clark Story Based on Searle’s Classification

Abstract

This study analyzes the illocutionary acts used by Ron Clark in classroom interactions in the movie The Ron Clark Story based on Searle’s classification. A qualitative case-study design was employed to examine 57 utterances produced by Ron Clark in selected classroom scenes. The analysis focuses specifically on illocutionary force and classifies the utterances into five categories: assertives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations. The findings show that assertives constitute the largest category with 21 utterances (36.84%), followed by directives with 18 utterances (31.58%), expressives with 10 utterances (17.54%), commissives with 5 utterances (8.77%), and declarations with 3 utterances (5.26%). The findings indicate that the selected scenes represent classroom language as a resource for conveying information, directing student behavior, expressing attitudes, making commitments, and establishing social or institutional conditions when the relevant context permits. The study distinguishes these communicative functions from the Searlean categories and does not claim that the film demonstrates actual learning effectiveness or learner outcomes. Because the data come from a scripted and edited film, the findings are interpreted as representations of classroom interaction rather than as evidence of naturally occurring classroom discourse.