Abstract
Pragmatic comprehension can be ideally developed through contact with target language speakers. This contact can be provided in English as Foreign Language contexts through telecollaboration. To test the actual effect of telecollaboration on the development of pragmatic comprehension, 30 Iranian undergraduates of English as a Foreign Language participated in an experimental study. The participants were divided into two groups of 15 students: control group which merely received pragmatic instructions and experimental group which had the opportunity to interact with target language speakers through internet-mediated communication tools besides receiving pragmatic instructions. The data were collected through a multiple choice pragmatic comprehension test, following a semester-long intervention. The comparison of the performance of the two groups assessed through the independent-samples t-test showed the significant positive effect of telecollaboration on the development of pragmatic comprehension. Pedagogical implications of the findings suggested organizing telecollaborative partnership environments to link English as Foreign Language students with university students in native English speaking countries.
Highlights
Pragmatic comprehension involves understanding the meaning of expressions at two levels: assigning sense to the words uttered and the speaker’s intention behind the words (Thomas, 1995)
The participants were divided into two groups of 15 students: control group which merely received pragmatic instructions and experimental group which had the opportunity to interact with target language speakers through internet-mediated communication tools besides receiving pragmatic instructions
This clearly signifies the influential role of first-hand contact with target language speakers and insufficiency of pragmatic instructions in English as Foreign Language contexts in the development of pragmatic comprehension
Summary
Pragmatic comprehension involves understanding the meaning of expressions at two levels: assigning sense to the words uttered and the speaker’s intention behind the words (Thomas, 1995). The ideal way to gain pragmatic competence in a certain language is through exposure to target language culture and contact with target language speakers (Farashaiyan & Tan, 2012; Rafieyan et al, 2014; Rafieyan et al, in press). Such an environment can be provided through educational sojourns, “periods spent abroad in a region where a target language is used as a medium of everyday communication” Recognizing the essentiality of exposure to target language culture to develop pragmatic comprehension, on one hand, and considering the costs of educational sojourns, on the other hand, calls for organizing cost-effective programs for language learners to have frequent contacts with target language speakers
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