Abstract:
In the present study an attempt was made to focus on pragmatic instruction and feedback as a kind of discriminatory factor. To teach English compliment and compliment responses, this paper evaluated the relative effectiveness of input-based instruction involving 132 Iranian EFL learners at intermediate and advanced levels. The main purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent instruction affected learners’ knowledge and ability to use compliment strategies. Students were divided into three groups: explicit, implicit and control. They were taught common strategies regarding how to compliment and respond to it. Whereas the explicit groups received instruction by means of explicit feedback on the use of appropriate compliments, the implicit groups were provided with instruction plus implicit feedback. The results of the data analysis based on the pre-tests, post-tests and follow up tests including discourse-completion tasks and self-assessment tests indicated that although instruction had a positive effect on the development of students’ socio-pragmatic competence of both explicit and implicit groups, the explicit group did better. The study may have some implications for
Machine summary:
The results of the data analysis based on the pre-tests, post-tests and follow up tests including discourse-completion tasks and self-assessment tests indicated that although instruction had a positive effect on the development of students’ socio-pragmatic competence of both explicit and implicit groups, the explicit group did better.
Rose and Kasper (2001) in their article about pragmatics in language teaching examined the first three questions whereas the last two questions are mainly addressed in this study to determine the effect of instruction and feedback on pragmatic features in general and compliments as one speech act in particular.
The finding of their study was significant because it indicated the importance of learners’ familiarity with cross-cultural differences considering both linguistic and pragmatic features to be able to communicate appropriately.
In what follows, the effect of pragmatic instruction on the speech act of complimenting focusing on two types of feedback is presented to provide answers to the research questions.
For SPSS analysis, multiple regression program, MANOVA, and mixed between- within ANOVA were used to evaluate the effects of instruction and feedback (explicit, implicit and control), proficiency level, age group 2 (22 years old and younger, older than 22), gender and time (time 1, time 2, time 3) on the students’ continuous scores.
Concerning the effect of age and gender, similar results were obtained in pre-test, and delayed post-test scores, therefore, age and gender were considered as covariate variables in the present study and the main focus shifted to the efficiency of other independent variables including instruction, feedback and proficiency level of the learners.