Charismatic Imperative Utterances by Teachers in Coaching Elementary School Speech Contest Participants in Gresik, East Java, Indonesia: A Pragmasyntactic Analysis Model

This article examines the forms and functions of imperative utterances employed by teachers in the context of coaching elementary school students for speech competitions, using a pragmasyntactic approach. The study is motivated by the need for a deeper understanding of educational communication strategies that are not only structurally effective but also sensitive to social relationships and pragmatic contexts. Data were collected through recordings of verbal interactions between teachers and students at three elementary schools (public and private) in Gresik Regency, East Java, Indonesia and analyzed using a qualitative descriptive method based on functional syntax and contextual pragmatics. The findings reveal that the imperative forms used by teachers extend beyond direct commands and are modified through pragmasyntactic strategies such as interrogative imperatives, ellipsis, evaluative-motivational expressions, and explicit directives with pedagogical reasoning. These modifications enable teachers to deliver instructions effectively and constructively, while cultivating a charismatic communicative style. The study affirms that imperative strategies in educational contexts represent an interaction between syntactic structures and communicative intent rooted in pedagogical values. This research contributes theoretically to the development of pragmasyntactic studies in the Indonesian language and offers practical implications for enhancing teachers’ communicative skills in ethical and inspiring learning environments.