A focus on pragmatics in English language teaching materials: Analysis, development, and praxis
El Tal, Nada
A focus on pragmatics in English language teaching materials: Analysis, development, and praxis - Beirut Université Libanaise - Faculté des lettres 2010 - 175 pages
النوع : Mémoire
This study presents research on pragmatics in English foreign language (EFL) teaching and materials. In the first part of the research, an analytical approach designed by Vellenga (2004) is replicated to analyze four curricular packages used for teaching English as a first foreign language in some 6th, 7th and 8th grades in Lebanon. The analysis investigates the quantity and quality of pragmatic information provided in the sample textbooks and evaluates how effectively the materials help to develop pragmatic competence. The findings suggest that teaching materials designed for EFL teaching contain more pragmatic information than those composed for teaching English Language Arts (ELA). Yet, both textbook types contain relatively little pragmatic information. Furthermore, the investigation indicates that the pragmatic information provided is, in accordance with field-related theories, of poor instructive value. In the second part of the research, pragmatic awareness-raising activities are designed as supplement to a drama text in one of the analyzed ELA textbooks. Drama, as a genre, is selected for pragmatic instruction as it contains basic speech patterns and context-rich information. The designed materials introduce pragmalinguistic variants and sociopragmatic aspects related to registers found in the drama text. The exercises compare first and second language speech act strategies, and use learners’ school context to raise awareness of different register variables. The effectiveness of the material is put to trial by teaching it to a 6th grade class of 21 learners. During 11 sessions, participants respond to two instruments. The first instrument is a scale-oriented questionnaire which requires participants to evaluate the composed material twice during instruction. Participants’ evaluation is used as an indicator of their satisfaction with pragmatic instruction and as guidelines for enhancement of the material. The ratings from the evaluation questionnaire reveal learners’ preference for interactive drama reading over theoretical exercises. The second instrument is a multiple-choice discourse-completion test that examines participants’ second language pragmatic awareness prior to and after instruction. The baseline answers to these tests are extracted from a frequency analysis of American native speakers’ answers to similar situations. Statistical analysis of pre- and post-test results indicates that pragmatic instruction significantly succeeds to raise participants’ general pragmatic awareness. However, t-tests conducted on individual test items reveal that not all register variables are equally acquired by participants. The results propose that frequency and explicitness of input do not guarantee intake of pragmatic information. Instead, findings suggest that learners’ readiness and their estimation of the inputs’ usefulness to them are equally important factors in the learning process.
English Language Education Teaching Methods
L’enseignement de la Langue Anglaise Méthodes d’enseignement
تعليم اللغة الانكليزية طرق التعليم
A focus on pragmatics in English language teaching materials: Analysis, development, and praxis - Beirut Université Libanaise - Faculté des lettres 2010 - 175 pages
النوع : Mémoire
This study presents research on pragmatics in English foreign language (EFL) teaching and materials. In the first part of the research, an analytical approach designed by Vellenga (2004) is replicated to analyze four curricular packages used for teaching English as a first foreign language in some 6th, 7th and 8th grades in Lebanon. The analysis investigates the quantity and quality of pragmatic information provided in the sample textbooks and evaluates how effectively the materials help to develop pragmatic competence. The findings suggest that teaching materials designed for EFL teaching contain more pragmatic information than those composed for teaching English Language Arts (ELA). Yet, both textbook types contain relatively little pragmatic information. Furthermore, the investigation indicates that the pragmatic information provided is, in accordance with field-related theories, of poor instructive value. In the second part of the research, pragmatic awareness-raising activities are designed as supplement to a drama text in one of the analyzed ELA textbooks. Drama, as a genre, is selected for pragmatic instruction as it contains basic speech patterns and context-rich information. The designed materials introduce pragmalinguistic variants and sociopragmatic aspects related to registers found in the drama text. The exercises compare first and second language speech act strategies, and use learners’ school context to raise awareness of different register variables. The effectiveness of the material is put to trial by teaching it to a 6th grade class of 21 learners. During 11 sessions, participants respond to two instruments. The first instrument is a scale-oriented questionnaire which requires participants to evaluate the composed material twice during instruction. Participants’ evaluation is used as an indicator of their satisfaction with pragmatic instruction and as guidelines for enhancement of the material. The ratings from the evaluation questionnaire reveal learners’ preference for interactive drama reading over theoretical exercises. The second instrument is a multiple-choice discourse-completion test that examines participants’ second language pragmatic awareness prior to and after instruction. The baseline answers to these tests are extracted from a frequency analysis of American native speakers’ answers to similar situations. Statistical analysis of pre- and post-test results indicates that pragmatic instruction significantly succeeds to raise participants’ general pragmatic awareness. However, t-tests conducted on individual test items reveal that not all register variables are equally acquired by participants. The results propose that frequency and explicitness of input do not guarantee intake of pragmatic information. Instead, findings suggest that learners’ readiness and their estimation of the inputs’ usefulness to them are equally important factors in the learning process.
English Language Education Teaching Methods
L’enseignement de la Langue Anglaise Méthodes d’enseignement
تعليم اللغة الانكليزية طرق التعليم