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The Impact of Instruction on the Pragmatic Comprehension of Speech Acts of Apology, Request, and Refusal Among Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

伊朗中級英語學習者之研究: 道歉、請求、拒絕言語行為的語用理解教學摘要

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Abstract

Theoretical and pedagogical attention in pragmatic competence and instruction for second- and foreign language learners has culminated in the growing body of literature on teaching pragmatics. Based on cognitively oriented second-language acquisition (SLA) theories, most studies on pragmatic intervention have primarily focused on dichotomous teaching approaches including explicit vs. implicit as well as inductive vs. deductive interventions. However, very few studies have capitalized on more dynamic teaching approaches taking advantage of authentic video-driven vignettes. Therefore, the present study sought to find out the impact of video-enhanced input on the comprehension of three speech acts of apology, request, and refusal on 69 (27 males and 42 females) Iranian intermediate EFL learners who were randomly divided into four homogenous groups (i.e., metapragmatic, form-search, interactive translation, and control) based on the results of the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). The four groups were accordingly exposed to 60 video vignettes (20 for each speech act) extracted from different episodes of Friends and Seinfeld sitcoms as well as Annie Hall movie for eight 60-min sessions of instruction twice a week. Results of the multiple-choice discourse completion test (MDCT) (Birjandi and Derakhshan Applied Research on English Language, 3(1), 67-85, 2014) revealed that metapragmatic consciousness-raising, form-search, and interactive translation groups led to the development of pragmatic comprehension from pretest to posttest. Furthermore, the results of the post hoc test of Tukey (HSD) demonstrated that while the form-search group had a better performance than interactive translation and control groups, the metapragmatic group outperformed the other treatment groups. In the light of the gained results, the findings might provide pedagogical implications for pragmatic practitioners and theoreticians as well as materials developers, teachers, and learners. Finally, it concludes with some avenues for further research.

對英語為第二語言及外語的學習者, 在語用能力和教授中, 理論和教學注意力已在語用學教學研究文獻中達到巔峰。根基於認知導向的第二語言習得(SLA)理論, 大部分採用語用學為主之研究著重在二分法的教學方法; 例如:顯性對隱性及歸納法對演繹法之導入。然而, 顯少之研究是利用大量真實視頻片段作為教學研究。本研究旨在經由視頻增強輸入道歉、請求及拒絕言語行為理解之影響。研究對象為69伊朗以英語為外語的中級學習者; 其中27是男性及42是女性。依據牛津快速分級測驗 (Oxford Quick Placement Test, OQPT) 結果, 他們隨機被分配到四個同質性的組: 後設語用組、形式搜尋組、互動式翻譯組以及控制組。這四組需觀看60部視頻片段, 一個言語行為有20部視頻片段, 每一個視頻片段取自於兩部情境喜劇六人行 (Friends) 和歡樂單身派對 (Seinfeld) 以及一部電影安妮霍爾 (Annie Hall) 。研究對象必須參加每週兩次的教學課程, 每次課程為八堂課, 每堂60分鐘。研究發現, 根據Birjandi & Derakhshan (2014) 制訂選擇型言談填充問卷 (multiple choice discourse completion test, MDCT) 分析結果, 在後測中, 發現後設語用意識提升、形式搜尋及互動式翻譯會導致語用理解的發展; 另外, 依據杜凱氏誠實顯著性差異 (Tukey HSD) 事後檢定結果, 發現雖然形式搜尋組比互動式翻譯組和控制組有較好的表現, 但是後設語用組的表現卻優於其它實驗組。針對上述研究結果並提供給語用實踐家和理論家、教材開發商、老師以及學生相關教學建議。最後, 總結一些方向做為未來研究之參考。

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Correspondence to Ali Derakhshan.

Appendix: Test of Listening Pragmatic Comprehension of Apology, Request, and Refusal (Birjandi and Derakhshan 2014)

Appendix: Test of Listening Pragmatic Comprehension of Apology, Request, and Refusal (Birjandi and Derakhshan 2014)

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Derakhshan, A., Arabmofrad, A. The Impact of Instruction on the Pragmatic Comprehension of Speech Acts of Apology, Request, and Refusal Among Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners. English Teaching & Learning 42, 75–94 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-018-0004-6

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