DEVELOPING EFL LEARNERS’ PRAGMATIC INSIGHT INTO APOLOGY STRATEGIES THROUGH META-PRAGMATIC INSTRUCTION

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate students' current pragmatic competence regarding apology strategies from a speech-act theory perspective and to examine whether their pragmatic competence can be improved through meta-pragmatic instruction. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the effective factors influencing students’ apology strategy preferences. A mixed methods design was employed as the research method, and data were collected through the Discourse Completion Test (DCT) and semi-structured interviews. The participants consisted of 134 EFL students from the Political Science and Public Administration, International Trade and Logistics, Business, Banking and Finance, and Economics and Finance departments. Furthermore, 24 students from the same sample group participated in semi-structured interviews. When the quantitative data were examined, it was found that the most frequently used strategy by students was direct apology, followed by explanation and responsibility strategies, and then modified strategies. It was also revealed that students' DCT responses improved through meta-pragmatic instruction, with an increase in the number of core strategies they employed and the number of modified strategies, which is an indicator of authentic language use. The study also investigated the effective factors influencing students' strategy preferences and indicated that the students were mostly influenced by social status, age, and the nature of offense when applying apology strategies. In conclusion, this study aimed to investigate the current pragmatic competence of EFL students and to investigate whether pragmatic competence can be improved through meta-pragmatic instruction. Additionally, the study examined the effective factors influencing students' strategy preferences.

Keywords

• Pragmatics
• Pragmatic competence
• Meta-pragmatic instruction
• Speech act theory
• Apology strategies

META-PRAGMATİK ÖĞRETİM YOLUYLA YABANCI DİL OLARAK İNGİLİZCE ÖĞRENEN ÖĞRENCİLERDE ÖZÜR STRATEJİLERİNE YÖNELİK PRAGMATİK FARKINDALIĞIN GELİŞTİRİLMESİ

Abstract

Bu çalışma, öğrencilerin özür dileme stratejilerine ilişkin mevcut pragmatik yeterliliklerini konuşma eylemi teorisi perspektifinden değerlendirmeyi ve pragmatik yeterliliklerinin meta-pragmatik öğretim yoluyla geliştirilip geliştirilemeyeceğini incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Ek olarak, çalışma öğrencilerin özür dileme stratejisi tercihlerini etkileyen faktörleri belirlemeyi hedeflemiştir. Araştırma yöntemi olarak karma yöntem tasarımı kullanılmış ve veriler Söylem Tamamlama Testi (DCT) ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yoluyla toplanmıştır. Katılımcılar, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi, Uluslararası Ticaret ve Lojistik, İşletme, Bankacılık ve Finans ile Ekonomi ve Finans bölümlerinden 134 İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenen öğrenciden oluşmuştur. Ayrıca, aynı örneklem grubundan 24 öğrenci yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmelere katılmıştır. Nicel bulgular, öğrenciler tarafından en sık kullanılan stratejinin doğrudan özür dileme olduğunu, bunu açıklama ve sorumluluk stratejilerinin ve ardından değiştirilmiş stratejilerin izlediğini göstermiştir. Nicel veriler incelendiğinde, öğrencilerin DCT yanıtlarının meta-pragmatik öğretim yoluyla gelişme gösterdiği, kullandıkları temel strateji sayısında ve otantik dil kullanımının bir göstergesi olan değiştirilmiş strateji sayısında artış olduğu bulunmuştur. Çalışma ayrıca öğrencilerin strateji seçimlerini etkileyen faktörleri de araştırmıştır ve öğrencilerin özür stratejilerini uygularken çoğunlukla sosyal statü, yaş ve hatanın niteliğinden etkilendiklerini ortaya koydu. Sonuç olarak, bu çalışma İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenen öğrencilerin mevcut pragmatik yeterliliklerini araştırmayı ve pragmatik yeterliliğin meta-pragmatik öğretim yoluyla geliştirilip geliştirilemeyeceğini incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Ek olarak, çalışma öğrencilerin strateji tercihlerini etkileyen faktörleri de incelemiştir.

Keywords

• Edim bilim
• Pragmatik yeterlilik
• Meta-pragmatik öğretim
• Konuşma Eylem Teorisi
• Özür Dileme Stratejileri

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