The influence of practice contexts on L2 learners’ compliment responses: telecollaborative video-based practice versus face-to-face practice

Abstract

The role of practice has been largely overlooked in second/foreign (L2) pragmatics research. Furthermore, very few studies have directly compared the effects of different practice contexts (e.g. practice in a telecollaborative context versus practice in a face-to-face context) on L2 learners’ pragmatic competence (e.g. in compliment responses [CRs]). Adopting the Skill Acquisition Theory (DeKeyser, 2015), the current study is the first to compare the influence of telecollaborative video-based practice and traditional face-to-face practice on L2 learners’ pragmatic competence in CRs. Sixty-five third-year college students from a university in China received instruction on CRs. After the instruction, they were randomly assigned to a telecollaborative video-based group or a face-to-face group. Thirty-three learners participated in three-week video-based telecollaboration with first language (L1) speakers of English via WeChat (a multi-purpose application including making video calls), whereas 32 students engaged in three-week face-to-face communication with the L1 speakers of English in a classroom. The results from multi-modal discourse completion tasks on the immediate and delayed post-tests revealed that the telecollaborative video-based group outperformed the face-to-face group in pragmalinguistic accuracy, fluency, and diversity of CR strategies, demonstrating a facilitative and long-term influence of telecollaborative video-based practice on L2 pragmatic development. Pedagogical implications for L2 instructors are discussed (e.g. incorporating deliberate, authentic, and engaging telecollaborative activities into curricula).