The impact of English proficiency on the use of communication strategies: An interaction-based study in Turkish EFL context

Abstract

The present study investigated communication strategies employed by Turkish EFL learners and aimed at revealing the relationship between language proficiency and the use of communication strategies. An interaction-based methodology was used in which 17 pairs at different proficiency levels were asked to negotiate on two short movies and stimulated-recall interviews were implemented. The results of Kruskal-Wallis test illustrated that participants use particular strategies such as ‘use of fillers’, ‘self-repair’, and ‘self-repetition’. Proficiency level was not found as a factor influencing learners’ strategy choice but significant differences were found in three strategies: ‘message reduction’, ‘topic avoidance’, and ‘mime’. These findings allow for generating implications for issues to consider in designing classes.

Keywords

• Communication strategies; language proficiency, interaction-based methodology, English as a foreign language

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