You are here

Home » Content

Pragmatic assessment of request speech act of Iranian EFL learners by non-native English speaking teachers

Journal Name:

  • Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research

Publication Year:

  • 2016

Key Words:

Author NameUniversity of Author
Abstract (2. Language): 
The analysis of raters' comments on pragmatic assessment of L2 learners is among new and understudied concepts in second language studies. To shed light on this issue, the present investigation targeted important variables such as raters’ criteria and rating patterns by analyzing the interlanguage pragmatic assessment process of the Iranian non-native English speaking raters (NNESRs) regarding the request speech act, while considering important factors such as raters’ gender and background teaching experiences. For this purpose, 62 raters’ rating scores and comments on Iranian EFL learners’ requests based on six situations of specified video prompts were analyzed. The results of the content analysis of raters’ comments revealed nine criteria, including pragmalinguistic and socio-pragmatic components of language, which have been noted by raters differently through six request situations. Among the considered criteria, politeness, conversers’ relationship, style and register, and explanation were of great importance to NNESRs. Furthermore, t-test and chi-square analysis of raters’ assigned rating scores and mentioned criteria across different situations verified the insignificance of factors such as raters’ gender and teaching experiences on the process of EFL learners’ pragmatic assessment. In addition, the results of the study suggest the necessity of teaching L2 pragmatics in language classes and in teacher training courses.
Bookmark/Search this post with
FULL TEXT (PDF): 
PDF icon arastirmax-pragmatic-assessment-request-speech-act-iranian-efl-learners-non-native-english-speaking-teachers.pdf
  • 2
19
34
  • English

REFERENCES

References: 

Adel, M., Davoudi, M., & Ramezanzadeh, A. (2016). A qualitative study of politeness strategies used by Iranian EFL learners in a class blog. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 4(1), 47-62. Retrieved from http://www.urmia.ac.ir/sites/www.urmia.ac.ir/files/(4)_0.pdf
Alemi, M. (2012). Patterns in interlanguage pragmatic rating: Effects of rater training, intercultural Proficiency, and self-assessment. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.
Alemi, M., & Irandoost, R. (2012). A textbook evaluation of speech acts: The case of English result series. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 1(6), 199-209. doi:10.7575/ijalel/v.1n.6p.199
Alemi, M., Eslami-Rasekh, Z., & Rezanejad, A. (2015). Iranian Non-native English Speaking Teachers’ Rating Criteria Regarding the Speech Act of Compliment: An Investigation of Teachers’ Variables. Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 6(3), 21-49. Retrieved from http://jtls.shirazu.ac.ir/pdf_2481_b731ff0a586bb61f319e6915de4e0b9a.html
Alemi, M., Roodi, F., & Bemani, M. (2013). Pragmatic investigation in three global English textbooks. Internet Journal of Language, Culture and Society, 37, 55-60. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Minoo_Alemi/publication/235330154_p...
Alemi, M., & Tajeddin, Z. (2013). Pragmatic rating of L2 refusal: Criteria of native and non- native English teachers. TESL Canada Journal, 30, 63-81. Retrieved from http://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/download/1152/978
Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bachman, L. F. (2004). Statistical analyses for language assessment. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
32 M. Alemi & N. Khanlarzadeh/Pragmatic assessment of …
Blum-Kulka, S. (1987). Indirectness and politeness in requests: Same or different? Journal of pragmatics, 11(2), 131-146. doi:10.1016/0378-2166(87)90192-5
Blum-Kulka, S., & Olshtain, E. (1984). Requests and apologies: A cross-cultural study of speech act realization patterns (CCSARP). Applied linguistics, 5(3), 196-213. doi:10.1093/applin/5.3.196
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language. Cambridge: Cambridge University.
Cohen, A. D. (2008). Teaching and assessing L2 pragmatics: What can we expect from learners?. Language Teaching, 41(02), 213-235.
Cohen, A. D. (2014). Towards increased classroom assessment of pragmatic ability. Iranian Journal of Language Testing, 4(1), 4-25. Retrieved from http://ijlt.ir/journal/images/PDF/420-2014-4-1.pdf
Eslami-Rasekh, Z. (2005). Raising the pragmatic awareness of language learners. ELT Journal, 59(2), 199-208. doi:10.1093/elt/cci039
Eslami, Z. R., & Eslami-Rasekh, A. (2008). Enhancing the pragmatic competence of non-native English-speaking teacher candidates (NNESTCs) in an EFL context. Investigating Pragmatics in Foreign Language Learning, Teaching and Testing, 30(2), 178-197.
Hassall, T. (2004). Requests by Australian learners of Indonesian. Journal of Pragmatics, 35, 1903–1928. doi:10.1016/S0378-2166(03)00115-2
Hudson, T., Brown, J. D., & Detmer, E. (1995). Developing prototypic measures of cross-cultural pragmatics (Vol. 7). Natl Foreign Lg Resource Ctr.
Hudson, T., Detmer, E., & Brown, J. D. (1992). A framework for testing cross-cultural pragmatics (Vol. 2). Natl Foreign Lg Resource Ctr.
Izaki, Y. (2000). Cultural differences of preference and deviations from expectations in requesting: A study of Japanese and French learners of Japanese in contact situations. Journal of Japanese Language Teaching, 104, 79-88.
Jalilifar, A., Hashemian, M., & Tabatabaee, M. (2011). A cross-sectional study of Iranian EFL learners' request strategies. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2(4), 790-803. doi:10.4304/jltr.2.4.790-803
Knoch, U., Read, J., & von Randow, J. (2007). Re-training writing raters online: How does it compare with face-to-face training? Assessing Writing, 12(1), 26–43. doi:10.1016/j.asw.2007.04.001
Leech, G. (1983). The Principles of pragmatics. London: Longman.
Li, D. (2000). The pragmatics of making requests in the L2 workplace: A case study of language socialization. Canadian Modern Language Review, 57(1), 58-87. doi:10.3138/cmlr.57.1.58
Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research 4(2), (July, 2016) 19-34 33
Roever, C. (2005). Testing ESL pragmatics. Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang.
Roever, C. (2006). Validation of a web-based test of ESL pragmalinguistics. Language Testing, 23(2), 229-256. doi:10.1191/0265532206lt329oa
Roever, C. (2007). DIF in the Assessment of Second Language Pragmatics. Language Assessment Quarterly, 4(2), 165-189. doi:10.1080/15434300701375733
Safa, M. A., Moradi, M., & Hamzavia, R. (2015). Iranian EFL teachers and learners perspective on potentiality of Top Notch series for intercultural competence development. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 3(2), 47-66. Retrieved from http://www.urmia.ac.ir/sites/www.urmia.ac.ir/files/(4).pdf
Searle, J. R. (1976). A classification of illocutionary acts. Language in society, 5(01), 1-23.
Sydorenko, T., Maynard, C., & Guntly, E. (2015). Rater Behaviour When Judging Language Learners’ Pragmatic Appropriateness in Extended Discourse. TESL Canada Journal, 32(1), 19-41. Retrieved from http://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/view/1197/1017
Taguchi, N. (2011). Rater variation in the assessment of speech acts. Pragmatics, 21(3), 453- 471. doi:10.1075/prag.21.3.08tag
Tajeddin, Z. (2014). Interlanguage pragmatics and language teaching. Tehran, Iran: Jungle Publications.
Tajeddin, Z., & Alemi, M. (2013). Criteria and bias in native English teachers’ assessment of L2 pragmatic appropriacy: Content and FACETS analyses. The Asia Pacific Education Researcher, 23(3), 425-434. doi:10.1007/s40299-013-0118-5
Takahashi, S. (1996). Pragmatic transferability. Studies in second language acquisition, 18(02), 189-223. doi:10.1017/S0272263100014881
Takahashi, S., & DuFon, P. (1989). Cross-linguistic influence in indirectness: The case of English directives performed by native Japanese speakers. Unpublished manuscript, University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Honolulu. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED370439.pdf
Thomas, J. (1983). Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 91-112. doi:10.1093/applin/4.2.91
Trosborg, A. (1995). Interlanguage pragmatics: Requests, complaints, and apologies. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783110885286
Walters, F. S. (2004). An application of conversation analysis to the development of a test of second language pragmatic competence. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Walters, F. S. (2007). A conversation-analytic hermeneutic rating protocol to assess L2 oral prag-matic competence. Language Testing, 24(2), 155–183. doi:10.1177/0265532207076362
34 M. Alemi & N. Khanlarzadeh/Pragmatic assessment of …
Walters, F. S. (2009). A conversation analysis-informed test of L2 aural pragmatic comprehensions. TESOL Quarterly, 43(1), 29–54. doi:10.1002/j.1545-7249.2009.tb00226.x
Woodfield, H. (2008). Interlanguage requests in English: A contrastive study. In M. Pütz & J. N. V. Aertselaer (Eds.), Contrastive pragmatics: Interlanguage and Cross-cultural Perspectives (pp. 231-264). Berlin/New York: Mouton De Gruyter.

Thank you for copying data from http://www.arastirmax.com