Approaches for developing pragmatic competence of Japensese EFL learners

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22520565
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: YAMATO Kazuhito 神戸大学, 国際コミュニケーションセンター, 准教授 (80370005)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TAGASHIRA Kenji 広島大学, 外国語教育研究センター, 准教授 (00403519) ; ISODA Takamichi 立命館大学, 文学部, 准教授 (70397909)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: 語用論的能力 / 語用論的意識 / 動機づけ

Research Abstract

The purpose of this research project is to explore effective teaching method for developing pragmatic competence of Japanese EFL learners. Based on a series of questionnaire survey, the effect of learners' motivational profile on their pragmatic awareness was investigated. The results of the perception studies show that the more self-regulated learners are, the more attentive to pragmatic errors they get. Moreover, high proficiency is not necessarily a prerequisite for learners. The results of the production study illustrate that the self-regulated learners were likely to use more indirect expressions when they request something. These findings suggest that proficiency of learners may not necessarily entail their pragmatic awareness. Therefore, educators should be well aware that developing pragmatic competence of learners should require attention to their motivational profiles.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Japanese EFL learners'pragmatic awareness through the looking glass of motivational profiles (2011)
  • Author(s): Tagashira, K., Yamato, K., & Isoda, T
  • Journal Title: JALT Journal Volume: 3 Pages: 5-26
  • URL: http://jalt-publications.org/jj/issues/2011-05_33.1
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 語用論的能力と学習者の個人差要因:依頼表現のタイプと動機 (2012)
  • Author(s): 磯田貴道, 田頭憲二, 大和知史
  • Organizer: 第38回全国英語教育学会愛知研究大会
  • Place of Presentation: 愛知学院大学日進キャンパス
  • Year and Date: 2012-08-04
• [Presentation] Examining pragmatic awareness of Japanese EFL learners in relation to individual difference factors : A cluster analytic approach (2010)
  • Author(s): Yamato, K., Tagashira, K., & Isoda, T
  • Organizer: 18th International Conference on Pragmatics & Language Learning
  • Place of Presentation: Kobe University
  • Year and Date: 2010-07-19
• [Book] Pragmatics and language learning (Vol. 13)(Pragmatic awareness of Japanese EFL learnersin relation to individual difference factors: Acluster analytic approach) (2013)
  • Author(s): Yamato, K., Tagashira, K., & Isoda, T (Greer, T., Tatsuki, D., & Roever, C. (Eds.))
  • Total Pages: 292(245-265)
  • Publisher: University of Hawai'i, National Foreign Language Resource Center