The Effects Of Instruction On Pragmatic Development In China's EFL Context

It is generally agreed that the ultimate goal of learning a foreign language is to communicate effectively in that language. According to Thomas (1983:94), pragmatic competence is an ability to use language effectively in order to achieve a specific purpose and understand language in context. It is an essential component of communicative competence. Therefore, successful cultivation of foreign language learners' pragmatic competence constitutes one of the main tasks of a foreign language learning and teaching.Different theories have been proposed to account for pragmatic development, such as acculturation model, noticing hypothesis, sociocultural theory. Research findings from various studies have informed us that factors such as language proficiency, language input, length of residence, biological factors contribute to the acquisition of pragmatic knowledge.Based on a critical review of previous studies from both home and abroad, the present study aims to examine the effectiveness of instruction on pragmatic development through teaching speech acts to Chinese EFL learners. Three research questions raised in this study are: (1) How effective is instruction in Chinese EFL learners' pragmatic awareness and production of requests and suggestions? (2) What is the relative effectiveness of explicit and implicit instruction in Chinese EFL learners' pragmatic awareness and production? Is explicit instruction more effective than the implicit one? (3) Can any effects obtained from the pragmatic instruction last in the delayed post-test?With these research questions, three intact classes with one hundred and nineteen students participated in the study and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (explicit, implicit) and one control group. Over a 10-week period, each treatment group was exposed to several video clips and educational scenarios, relevant oral activities concerning the target speech act were also designed. The explicit group was provided with detailed explanation after the exposure to the film excerpts. Moreover, feedback was given and discussions were also conducted after the oral tasks. The control group did not receive any equivalent instruction. Both the treatment and control groups have completed the same pre-tests, post-tests during the same time period.The research results corroborate the findings from the existing literature that instruction has a positive effect in pragmatic awareness and production. Explicit instruction was superior to the implicit one although both types of instruction could lead to gains in pragmatic awareness. Though the learners in the treatment groups experienced some attrition of pragmatic knowledge they obtained from instruction, they still performed better in the delayed post-tests than in the pre-tests. Moreover, the learners in the explicit group had more retention than those in the implicit one. So it seems that the effect of instruction still existed even one month after instruction.Based on the research findings of the present study, this thesis also examines the implications for pragmatic learning and teaching. Suggestions for future research in China's EFL context are also provided.