Semiotic Devices Used in the Advertisements by Private Schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Case Study of Kohat Division

Abstract

The study attempts to analyze the different semiotic devices used in the advertisements of private schools generally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in Kohat division. It explores the role that different semiotic devices play in the advertisements of private schools in Kohat division and reveals the implicit, hidden, and inherent ideologies behind using these semiotic devices in private school advertisements. The present study is qualitative, and the data were collected from the latest advertisements of 2023 advertised by the private schools in KP, specifically in Kohat division. Kohat and Karak districts were selected from Kohat division. Six schools from these two districts were selected through a simple random sampling technique. After selecting private schools, the advertisements given by the selected schools were downloaded and analyzed using Fairclough's (1992) three-dimensional model. The study expects to make private school owners realize that some parents do not look at the pictures and semiotic devices in advertisements; instead, they look at the quality education provided by the school when they look for a school for their children.