Pragmatic awareness

Although discrete research on pragmatic and grammatical awareness is well-visited in second language acquisition, the exploration and assessment of these two variables in tandem in standardized language proficiency tests has not garnered thick literature. On this ground, this study attempted to examine the correlation of both pragmatic and grammatical awareness with IELTS speaking Part 3. To this end, 120 homogenized Uzbek IELTS-taken applicants were asked to fill out pragmatic and grammatical awareness questionnaire adopted from Albertson (2011) followed by IELTS speaking Part 3 administration in order to obtain a correlation between pragmatic awareness and IELTS speaking Part 3 as well as grammatical awareness and IELTS speaking Part 3, respectively. The results of data analyses via running Pearson correlation coefficient indicated that both pragmatic awareness and grammatical awareness were significantly correlated with IELTS speaking Part 3. The findings imply that building on these two types of awareness would probably help learners increase their performance on IELTS speaking Part 3. Additionally, the students’ awareness-raising on pragmatic aspect of language in IELTS speaking Part 3 upon which interaction is based could probably convince the examiners on IELTS speaking venues that they are fully aware of pragmatic items and their conveyed message would not be misunderstood.

تحقیق حاضر تلاشی است برای ارزیابی مجموعه کتاب های پراسپکت و ویژن (کتاب های زبان انگلیسی دوره اول و دوره دوم دبیرستان) با توجه به سه عنصر اصلی منظورشناسی؛ نشانگرهای ادب ورزی، کنش های کلامی و نقش های زبانی. به همین منظور تمامی مکالمات (۱۷۲ مکالمه) این شش کتاب مورد بررسی و تحلیل دقیق جهت پاسخگویی به موارد ذیل قرار گرفت: پربسامد ترین نشانگرهای ادب ورزی؛ رایج ترین کنش های کلامی وپربسامدترین نقش های زبانی به کار رفته در کتاب های پراسپکت و ویژن نتایج این تحقیق نشان داد که نشانگرهای ادب و نشانگرهای اقدامی پربسامد ترین نشانگرهای ادب ورزی هستند. کنش های کلامیِ نمایندگی و بخشنامه ای پربسامدترین کنش های کلامی هستند. و همچنیمن نقش زبانیِ اطلاعاتی، پرتکرار ترین نقش زبانی به کار گرفته شده در این مجموعه کتاب ها هستند. از سوی دیگر عدم استفاده و یا استفاده محدود از برخی از عناصر منظور شناسی به عنوان نقص در این مجموعه ها شناخته شد. همچنین بر اساس نتایج حاصل از این مطالعه مشخص شد که توزیع مولفه های منظورشناسی به صورت مساوی در مکالمات هر دو سری کتاب ها صورت نپذیرفته است و هیچ ارتباطی میان سطح این کتاب ها و میزان استفاده از این مولفه ها وجود ندارد. و در نهایت، راه کارها و پیشنهاداتی به مسئولین تهیه و تدوین منابع درسی جهت به کارگیری عناصر منظورشناسی در کتاب های درسی زبان انگلیسی و تحقق اهداف آموزشی ارائه شد.

Despite the fact that virtual learning seems to have considerable potential for enhancing language learners’ communicative abilities, it has received less attention for improving pragmatic competence of learners in EFL educational settings. The present study was an attempt to investigate the impact of virtual and real classroom instruction of speech acts on the pragmatic awareness and development of Iranian EFL learners. To do so, a quasi-experimental study was designed and, through a homogeneity test, 57 EFL female language learners at the intermediate level were chosen. The participants were randomly divided into the experimental groups of virtual and real classroom learning and went through the procedure of pretest, intervention, and posttest; the pertinent data were collected by means of a PET test, a speech-act pre-test and comparable post-tests of speech acts. Both measures of independent and paired-samples t-test were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that instruction of speech acts through both virtual and real classroom techniques can be conducive to the promotion of pragmatic awareness among the EFL learners in the Iranian context; meanwhile, real classroom instruction of speech acts proved to be more fruitful and more significantly elevated the pragmatic awareness of Iranian EFL learners. We conclude the study drawing on the implications of our findings for ELT and EFL policy makers, language educators and teachers, material developers, and learners.

The present study focused on the effect of an in-service meta-pragmatics training course on Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ pragmatic awareness and classroom pragmatic practices. A mixed methods design was used to achieve the objectives of the study. In the quantitative phase of the study, 300 EFL teachers were selected through convenience sampling and filled out the Pragmatic Awareness Questionnaire. In the qualitative phase, 60 of those teachers participated in a pragmatic training course. They were divided into experimental and control groups and underwent the processes of pretesting, intervention, and post-testing. Furthermore, 30 of these teachers were observed in terms of their teaching inter-language pragmatics both before and after the training course of meta-pragmatics. The results of the multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) revealed that EFL teacher’s pragmatic awareness was relatively low. In addition, the findings unveiled a statistically significant difference between the EFL teachers’ meta-pragmatic awareness and their practices in terms of the 'language teacher' component. Moreover, the findings showed a statistically significant improvement in the EFL teachers’ pragmatic practices regarding teaching pragmatic features after receiving the instructions. The results of this study have some implications for stakeholders, namely EFL teacher trainers, EFL teachers, and EFL students.