Effect of Pragmatic Instruction on Sustainable Development of Pragmatic Awareness

Abstract

Effective cross-cultural communication is supposed to require awareness of target language pragmatic features. However, inadequate attention is paid to the development of pragmatic awareness in foreign language classrooms. To examine the actual effect of pragmatic instruction on the development and sustainability of pragmatic awareness in foreign language learners, the current study adopted an experimental design by conducting eight intervention sessions on 60 Iranian senior undergraduate learners of English as a Foreign Language at a university in Iran and three administration of a multiple choice pragmatic awareness test ISSN 2162-6952 2014 www.macrothink.org/jse 207 immediately before, immediately after, and two months following the intervention. The results of the repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that pragmatic instruction had a marked effect on the development but not sustainability of pragmatic awareness in English as Foreign Language learners. The pedagogical implications of the findings suggested the inclusion of pragmatic instruction in foreign language classrooms. Journal of Studies in Education

Effect of Pragmatic Awareness on Comprehension and Production of Conventional Expressions

“…Language learners who were more aware of target language pragmatic features had a higher ability to appropriately comprehend and produce target language conventional expressions than language learners who were less aware of target language pragmatic features. Therefore, English language teachers in English as Foreign Language contexts are advised to develop awareness of target language pragmatic features in language learners (Rafieyan et al, 2014a, Rafieyan et al, 2014b.…”

“…Amount of exposure to English was obtained through a selfreport questionnaire. The findings revealed that amount of target language exposure has potential to account for the development of pragmatic awareness (as cited in Rafieyan et al, 2014a). Schauer (2006) was the other researcher who explored the effect of learning environment on the development of pragmatic awareness in language learners.…”

“…Data for the study were elicited using the combined video-and-questionnaire instrument developed by Bardovi-Harlig and Dornyei (1998). The study revealed that learning environment plays a substantial role in priming language learners" pragmatic awareness (as cited in Rafieyan et al, 2014a).…”

The Evaluation of Iranian EFL Learners’ Interlanguage Pragmatic Knowledge through the Production of Speech Acts

“…Therefore, in order to avoid intercultural misunderstandings and the resultant pragmatic failure, EFL learners' pragmatic knowledge as the core construct of communicative competence should be developed. This can result in more effective and successful intercultural communication (Nguyen, 2011;Rafieyan et al, 2014). In this regard, Eslami-Raseh (2011) also supports the previous statement and declares that learners' L2 pragmatic competence should be well developed in communicating appropriately in a target language.…”

Pragmatic Variations in Giving Advice in L2 by Malaysian Postgraduate Students: The Situational Effects

“…Therefore, non-native speakers' pragmatic competence as the key constituents of intercultural communicative competence should be developed to lessen intercultural misunderstandings and the resultant pragmatic failure. This can result in more effective and successful intercultural communication (Nguyen, 2011;Rafieyan et al, 2014). The fact that non-native speakers have continually encountered with the challenges to communicate in L2 and they have mostly failed in their intercultural interactions have inspired SLA researchers to explore the status of their pragmatic competence in both EFL and ESL contexts.…”