Does Li-based instruction work for learning pragmatics in the EFL context

A substantial part of interventional studies in interlanguage pragmatics (ILP) has concentrated on explicit/deductive and implicit/inductive teaching designs, generally concluding that explicit/deductive approach seems to be more effective (Takahashi, 2010). It seems that this emphasis has led to overlooking a third possibility: the use of learners first language (L1) which is recently receiving a considerable attention in second language acquisition (SLA) field (e.g., Cheng, 2013; Lee & Macaro, 2013). Therefore, to shed light on the most effective means of pragmatic instruction, the present study was designed to compare and contrast the relative effectiveness of explicit/deductive and L1-based teaching of pragmatic competence during a ten-week instruction period. To this end, ninety-six male and female Iranian undergraduate students majoring in English as a foreign language (EFL) at University of Qom participated in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to explicit/deductive (n=5 1) and L1-based (n=45) group and received instruction on three speech acts: request, apology, and compliment. The study used a pretest-posttest design. The obtained results through written discourse completion test (DCT) indicated that L1-based instruction of speech acts was beneficial for learners and the students in this group outperformed their counterparts in the explicit/deductive group. The results of the study suggest that principled and judicious application of L1 in conjunction with target language offers an effective means of teaching pragmatics. The effectiveness of learners first language and the opportunities that it can provide for second or foreign language teaching is a rich and under-explored area that requires more attention.

کلیدواژه ها:

Interlanguage pragmatics ، L1-based instruction ، explicit/deductive instruction ، request ، apology ، compliment