Abstract
It can be a great challenge for second language (L2) learners to comprehend meanings that are implied in utterances rather than the surface meaning of what was said. Moreover, L2 learners’ attitudes toward pragmatic learning are unknown. This mixed-methods study investigates L2 learners’ ability to comprehend conversational implicatures. It also explores their beliefs about and intentions to develop this ability using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB). A total of 498 freshmen from a public university in China participated in the study. Data were collected using a web-based test, stimulated recall tasks and semi-structured interviews. Results show that the participants differed in recognizing the intended meanings. Complicated factors account for the variations. In addition to the types of implicature, learners’ beliefs about developing pragmatic comprehension also influence their learning intention, and subsequent performance. These beliefs include learners’ multi-layered, complex attitudes toward the outcomes of pragmatic learning, perceived self-efficacy beliefs regarding language proficiency and L2 cultural knowledge, actual behavioral control over opportunities and resources for pragmatic learning, and perceptions of less social pressure on pragmatic learning. The use of TPB may help language teachers and test designers to understand learners’ beliefs about L2 pragmatic learning in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Understanding the factors influencing learners’ intention will help design more effective teaching curricula that may integrate pragmatic instruction and testing in the future.
Highlights
Most learners, adult learners, have certain beliefs about what is worth learning, how the instruction should be delivered and why they are devoted to certain learning activity (Dörnyei and Ushioda, 2013; Lightbown and Spada, 2013)
This study examined Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ L2 pragmatic comprehension of conversational implicature and their beliefs about pragmatic learning by drawing on theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991, 2005)
The learners performed significantly better in idiosyncratic implicatures than in formulaic implicatures, indicating that formulaic implicatures may be more challenging for EFL learners
Summary
Adult learners, have certain beliefs about what is worth learning, how the instruction should be delivered and why they are devoted to certain learning activity (Dörnyei and Ushioda, 2013; Lightbown and Spada, 2013). Understanding these beliefs helps to account for learners’ learning motivation behavior (Alhamami, 2018). The roles of language learners’ beliefs about pragmatic competence and its acquisition have been largely under-explored. With the exceptions of Yang and Ren (2019) and García-Gómez (2020), few studies have investigated the roles of learners’ internal characteristics, such as beliefs and motivation, in L2 pragmatic learning
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