Socio-Technical Talk: How Speech Acts Coordinate Student Project Work in Digital Group Messaging

Abstract

Digital messaging platforms have become essential infrastructure for collaborative project work, yet we lack systematic understanding of how students use language performatively to coordinate tasks in these spaces. Whilst studies have examined social media usage patterns, few apply robust theoretical frameworks to analyse the communicative intentions in project-based messaging. This paper addresses this gap by investigating speech acts, i.e., the performative dimensions of language, in student group communication across different project stages. Through vignette-based analysis of 204 university students' responses, we demonstrate that speech act patterns: directives, expressives, commissives, and assertives, vary significantly by project stage, rather than by demographic factors such as gender, age, or discipline. Students strategically adapt their communicative intentions—requesting, apologising, committing, or asserting—based on task context rather than personal characteristics. These findings advance Speech Acts theory in digital contexts and offer practical implications for supporting effective collaboration in educational and professional settings through contextually appropriate communication.

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