Beyond the curriculum: Extended discourse practice through self-access pragmatics simulations

Date
2020-06-01
Authors
Sydorenko, Tetyana
Jones, Zachary
Daurio, Phoebe
Thorne, Steven
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University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center
Center for Language & Technology
(co-sponsored by Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning, University of Texas at Austin)
Volume
24
Number/Issue
2
Starting Page
48
Ending Page
69
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Abstract
Usage-based linguistics posits that communicative functions, including pragmatics, are at the core of language (Tomasello, 1992). It is surprising, then, that pragmatics is rarely systematically included in second language curricula (e.g., Bardovi-Harlig, 2017), especially since pragmatics instruction has been shown to significantly contribute to pragmatic development (e.g., Taguchi & Roever, 2017). Addressing this issue, the present study investigates learning outcomes and processes in self-access technology-enhanced instructional simulations for pragmatics that do not require classroom or teacher time. Importantly, these simulations include 1.) oral practice of extended discourse and 2.) feedback—two underexplored aspects of pragmatics instruction (e.g., Holden & Sykes, 2013; Sydorenko, Daurio, & Thorne, 2018). Two versions of the self-access simulations were examined: implicit-only instruction (15 participants) and implicit combined with explicit instruction (11 participants). The quantitative analysis of learners’ production data and self-reported noticing revealed that both groups were similarly able to extract relevant (but varying) pragmatics features from instruction. The qualitative analysis, however, revealed that individual learner differences may be a critical factor in the effectiveness of implicit versus explicit instruction. The present study also illustrates how time spans and competition between cognitive resources affect pragmatics learning. In sum, this research informs further development of self-access pragmatics materials.
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Self-Access Pragmatics Instruction, Implicit vs. Explicit Instruction, Individual Differences
Citation
Sydorenko, T., Jones, Z. W., Daurio, P., & Thorne, S. L. (2020). Beyond the curriculum: Extended discourse practice through self-access pragmatics simulations. Language Learning & Technology, 24(2), 48–69. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/44725
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