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Article published In:
Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 36:2 (2023) ► pp.467–498

Exploring the effects of audiovisual material and age in pragmatic learning

ORCID logo | Universitat de Barcelona
ORCID logo | Universitat de Barcelona

The present study aims at analyzing the effects of pragmatic instruction through captioned audiovisual input on pragmatic performance by learners of different ages. The participants were 40 intermediate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, 20 children and 20 adults, who were distributed into intervention and control groups. All participants received pragmatic-focused instruction (on greetings and requests), and were engaged in class discussions to raise pragmatic awareness. In the intervention group, pragmatic instruction was supported by captioned audiovisual material, whereas in the control group no audiovisual material was used to support pragmatic instruction. To examine pragmatic performance, an Oral Discourse Completion Test (ODCT) was administered at the beginning and at the end of the treatment period. Moreover, classroom observations were carried out during class discussions. The findings suggest a benefit of captioned audiovisual input on pragmatic performance when teaching pragmatics in the EFL classroom as well as differences in terms of pragmatic performance between child and adult learners.

Keywords: pragmatics, EFL, speech acts, input, age, captions
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Age and pragmatic learning
    • 2.2Pragmatics in foreign language classrooms
    • 2.3The role of input in L2 pragmatics
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Study design
      • 3.2.1Pedagogical intervention
      • 3.2.2Audiovisual captioned material
      • 3.2.3Instruments
    • 3.3Data analysis and measures
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Comparisons across intervention and control groups at pre- and post-test
    • 4.2Comparisons within age groups from pre- to post-test
      • 4.2.1Children’s performance in pre- and post-test
      • 4.2.2Analysis of children’s productions
      • 4.2.3Adults’ performance in pre- and post-tests
      • 4.2.4Analysis of adults’ productions
    • 4.3Classroom observations and discussions
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 25 May 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/resla.20063.bar
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