Cover not available

Article published In: Applied Pragmatics: Online-First Articles

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

Role of pragmatic instruction and individual differences variables in determining level of pragmatic competence

ORCiD logo with link | Yamanashi Gakuin University
Published online: 13 March 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ap.23008.raf
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of pragmatic instruction and several individual difference variables on pragmatic competence. The examined variables include cultural distance from the target language community, level of target language proficiency, length of residence in the target language country, and level of target language contact. Eighty undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds enrolled at a university in Japan participated in the study. Data collection instruments comprised a Japanese pragmatic test and a background questionnaire assessing participants’ country of origin, Japanese proficiency level, length of residence in Japan, and level of contact with Japanese speakers. Employing a one-group pre-test–post-test experimental design, the study administered the pragmatic test and background questionnaire to all participants at the beginning of the academic year. Throughout the academic year, participants received regular Japanese instruction with an emphasis on pragmatics. Towards the end of the academic year, the same pragmatic test was re-administered to 22 participants. Paired samples t-test analysis revealed a significant improvement in pragmatic competence following pragmatic instruction. Additionally, multiple regression analysis identified language proficiency, cultural distance, and language contact as influential factors in pragmatic competence development, ranked in descending order of importance.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methodology
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Instruments
      • 2.2.1Instructional materials
      • 2.2.2Assessment instruments
    • 2.3Procedure
    • 2.4Data analysis
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1The effect of pragmatic instruction on participants’ pragmatic competence
    • 3.2The effect of individual differences variables on participants’ pragmatic competence
  • 4.Discussion
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
References (54)
References
Alptekin, C. (2002). Towards intercultural communicative competence in ELT. ELT Journal, 56(1), 57–64. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2009). Conventional expressions as a pragmalinguistic resource: Recognition and production of conventional expressions in L2 pragmatics. Language Learning, 59(4), 755–795. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, K., & Dörnyei, Z. (1998). Do language learners recognize pragmatic violations? Pragmatic versus grammatical awareness in instructed L2 learning. TESOL Quarterly, 32(2), 233–259. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of language learning and teaching (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall Regents.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Culhane, S. F. (2004). An intercultural interaction model: Acculturation attitudes in second language acquisition. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 1(1), 50–61.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
DuFon, M., & Churchill, E. (2006). Language learners in study abroad contexts. Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Erlam, R. (2005). Language aptitude and its relationship to instructional effectiveness in second language acquisition. Language Teaching Research, 9(2), 147–171. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Farashaiyan, A., & Tan, K. H. (2012). On the relationship between pragmatic knowledge and language proficiency among Iranian male and female undergraduate EFL learners. The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 18(1), 33–46.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Freed, B. (1998). An overview of issues and research in language learning in a study abroad setting. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 41, 21–60. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fukuya, Y. J., & Martinez-Flor, A. (2008). The interactive effects of pragmatic-eliciting tasks and pragmatic instruction. Foreign Language Annals, 41(3), 478–500. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ghobadi, A., & Fahim, M. (2009). The effect of explicit teaching of English “thanking formulas” on Iranian EFL intermediate level students at English language institutes. System, 37(3), 526–537. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2017). Statistics for the behavioral sciences (10th ed.). Cengage Learning Inc.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guilloteaux, M. J., & Dörnyei, Z. (2008). Motivating language learners: A classroom-oriented investigation of the effects of motivational strategies on student motivation. TESOL Quarterly, 42(1), 55–77. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage Publications.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
House, J. (2006). Text and context in translation. Journal of Pragmatics, 38(3), 323–337. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2021). How languages are learned (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Long, M. H. (1983). Native speaker/non-native speaker conversation and the negotiation of comprehensible input. Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 126–141. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. Ritchie & T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413–468). Academic Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Matsumura, S. (2003). Modelling the relationships among interlanguage pragmatic development, L2 proficiency, and exposure to L2. Applied Linguistics, 24(4), 465–491. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyen, T. T. M., Pham, T. H., & Pham, M. T. (2012). The relative effects of explicit and implicit form-focused instruction on the development of L2 pragmatic competence. Journal of Pragmatics, 44(4), 416–434. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (7th ed.). Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pearson, L. (2001). Pragmatics in foreign language teaching: The effects of instruction on L2 learners’ acquisition of Spanish expressions of gratitude, apologies, and directives [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Texas, Austin.
Peterson, E., & Coltrane, B. (2003). Culture in second language teaching (EDO-FL-03-09). ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2003). Language processing capacity. In C. J. Doughty & M. H. Long (Eds.), The handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 679–714). Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rafieyan, V., Orang, M., Bijami, M., Sharafi-Nejad, M., & Lin, S. E. (2014). Language learners’ acculturation attitudes. English Language Teaching, 7(1), 114–119. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rafieyan, V., Sharafi-Nejad, M., Khavari, Z., Lin, S. E., & Abdul-Rashid, M. (2014). Pragmatic comprehension development through telecollaboration. English Language Teaching, 7(2), 11–19. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rafieyan, V. (2016a). Effect of cultural distance on pragmatic comprehension and production. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 7(4), 25–32. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2016b). Relationship between cultural intelligence and production of conventional expressions. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 12(1), 12–23.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rafieyan, V., Mahmoudi, E., & Adlina, A. S. (2016). Relationship between attitude toward cultural instruction and translation of culture-bound texts. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 12(1), 1–11.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ran, L. (2007). The relationship between linguistic proficiency and pragmatic ability. US-China Foreign Language, 51, 13–17.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ranta, L. (2002). The role of learners’ language analytic ability in the communicative classroom. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Individual differences and instructed language learning (pp. 159–180). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Safont-Jorda, M. P. (2005). Third language learners: Pragmatic production and awareness. Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schmidt, R., Boraie, D., & Kassabgy, O. (1996). Foreign language motivation: Internal structure and external connections. In R. Oxford (Ed.), Language learning motivation: Pathways to the new century (Technical report #11) (pp. 9–70). University of Hawaiʻi, Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schmidt, R., & Watanabe, Y. (2001). Motivation, strategy use, and pedagogical preferences in foreign language learning. In Z. Dörnyei & R. Schmidt (Eds.), Motivation and second language acquisition (Technical report #23) (pp. 313–359). University of Hawaiʻi, Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Segalowitz, N., & Freed, B. (2004). Context, contact, and cognition in oral fluency acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 261, 175–201. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Taguchi, N. (2007). Development of speed and accuracy in pragmatic comprehension in English as a foreign language. TESOL Quarterly, 421, 313–338. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2008a). Cognition, language contact, and the development of pragmatic comprehension in a study-abroad context. Language Learning, 58(1), 33–71. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2008b). The role of learning environment in the development of pragmatic comprehension: A comparison of gains between EFL and ESL learners. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 301, 423–452. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2008c). Pragmatic comprehension in Japanese as a foreign language. Modern Language Journal, 92(4), 558–576. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2013). Production of routines in L2 English: Effect of proficiency and study-abroad experience. System, 411, 109–121. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Takahashi, S. (2005). Pragmalinguistic awareness: Is it related to motivation and proficiency? Applied Linguistics, 26(1), 90–120. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2015). The effect of learner profiles on pragmalinguistic awareness and learning. System, 481, 48–61. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Takimoto, M. (2012). Metapragmatic discussion in interlanguage pragmatics. Journal of Pragmatics, 44(10), 1240–1253. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thomas, J. (1983). Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 91–112. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1995). Meaning in interaction: An introduction to pragmatics. Longman.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ulbegi, E. (2009). The effects of implicit vs. explicit instruction on pragmatic development: Teaching polite refusals in English. Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi, 22(2), 327–356.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Waninge, F., Dörnyei, Z., & De Bot, K. (2014). Motivational dynamics in language learning: Change, stability, and context. The Modern Language Journal, 98(3), 704–723. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ward, C., & Kennedy, A. (1999). The measurement of sociocultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23(4), 659–677. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xiao, F., Taguchi, N., & Li, S. (2018). Effects of proficiency subskills on pragmatic development in L2 Chinese study abroad. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(2), 469–483. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xu, W., Case, R., & Wang, Y. (2009). Pragmatic and grammatical competence, length of residence, and overall L2 proficiency. System, 371, 205–216. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue