Interpersonal Grammatical Metaphor in Teacher-Students Interaction in Kindergarten

Abstract

This study examines the use of interpersonal metaphors in teacher talk at Panca Budi Kindergarten in Medan, through the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The research focuses on how teachers use interpersonal metaphors to shape classroom communication, guide interactions, and boost student engagement. Data were collected through classroom observations and audio recordings, followed by qualitative analysis. The results show that teachers strategically employ interpersonal metaphors to promote collaboration, assert authority, and encourage student participation, creating a more dynamic and inclusive classroom environment. This research investigates the use of interpersonal meaning in teacher talk within a kindergarten classroom, focusing on the various mood forms in declarative, imperative, and interrogative utterances. The study analyses teacher utterances, highlighting the frequency and impact of statements, commands, and questions in shaping classroom interactions. In this data, there are five instances of metaphorical coding, there is four metaphorical coding’s of commands that are executed in the interrogative mood and one metaphorical coding of statements that are executed in the imperative mood. The results of this study indicate that the teacher's communication style is primarily focused on providing clear and direct instructions. However, it also indicates that teachers could employ metaphorical language in their interaction.