Indirectness in a Maltese school setting

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the role of indirectness in a Maltese educational setting, focusing on its use among female and male educators to determine who is more indirect. The study also explores how indirectness is perceived by both educators and learners: as a sign of power or weakness? Additionally, it categorises the types of indirect speech acts used in the classroom, identifying the most common uses according to gender. The research was conducted in an independent school in Malta where students follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP). A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving a self-administered questionnaire completed by participants, followed by lesson observations. In the final stage, a focus group with educators was conducted. Both the lesson observations and the focus group were recorded and transcribed to identify the direct and indirect linguistic strategies used by both genders. Contrary to many previous studies positing that women’s language is more characterised by indirect forms, this study found that female educators were generally more direct than their male counterparts. However, the findings also indicated that gender is just one of many factors that contribute to the choice of indirect strategies in the classroom.