scholarly journals POEM-based SofLP’s Inculcation: A Way of Improving EFL Students’ Pragmatic Competence

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Yohannes Telaumbanua

The facts disclosed that some Indonesian ED students have difficulty disassembling the SIM in a practical sense. The scopes, focusing on merely learning factual knowledge of linguistic pragmatics and plus discussing the Western-based cases in point provided which are contrary to the Indonesian ED students’ real-world life social contexts, are the major quandaries of the students’ difficulties. The researcher, therefore, proposed such a title to practically bridge the students’ critical quandaries in interpreting the SIM. This was a qualitative method whose complete participation, field-notes, interviews, and iterative model and the 1984 Miles and Huberman Interactive model were the techniques of collecting and analysing the data respectively. The principal results practically signified that the poem-based SofLP’s inculcation better improve the Indonesian ED students’ pragmatic competence, HOTs (cognitive process and knowledge domains), linguistic intelligence and language skills. Besides, through poem, the pragmatic language teacher is encouraged to exploit the instructional strategies to establish and develop the students’ space practice, retrieval practice, elaboration, and collaboration. In conclusion, even though it seems weird, the poem or other literary works and digital media can critically serve as the learning media assisting the students acquire the SofLP.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salomi S. Asaridou ◽  
Ö. Ece Demir-Lira ◽  
Julia Uddén ◽  
Susan Goldin-Meadow ◽  
Steven L. Small

Adolescence is a developmental period in which social interactions become increasingly important. Successful social interactions rely heavily on pragmatic competence, the appropriate use of language in different social contexts, a skill that is still developing in adolescence. In the present study, we used fMRI to characterize the brain networks underlying pragmatic language processing in typically developing adolescents. We used an indirect speech paradigm whereby participants were presented with question/answer dialogues in which the meaning of the answer had to be inferred from the context, in this case the preceding question. Participants were presented with three types of answers: (1) direct replies, i.e., simple answers to open-ended questions, (2) indirect informative replies, i.e., answers in which the speaker’s intention was to add more information to a yes/no question, and (3) indirect affective replies, i.e., answers in which the speaker’s intention was to express polite refusals, negative opinions or to save face in response to an emotionally charged question. We found that indirect affective replies elicited the strongest response in brain areas associated with language comprehension (superior temporal gyri), theory of mind (medial prefrontal cortex, temporo-parietal junction, and precuneus), and attention/working memory (inferior frontal gyri). The increased activation to indirect affective as opposed to indirect informative and direct replies potentially reflects the high salience of opinions and perspectives of others in adolescence. Our results add to previous findings on socio-cognitive processing in adolescents and extend them to pragmatic language comprehension.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26
Author(s):  
Yossi Pratiwi ◽  
Sridelli Dakhi

Abstract.  Skilled in pragmatic language, means skilled in using language forms ( words, phrases and clauses appropriately according to the conditions, situations and social contexts behind it. Such pragmatic skills may be established if the situation, conditions and social context behind the use of the language can be adequately mastered. This study aims to describe the percentage of contributions to the mastery of sociolinguistic concepts with pragmatic skills. In line with the purpose of the study, sociolinguistic mastery data with pragmatic skills of 28 sample people netted with test instruments and analyzed with statistics r¬2.From the results of the analysis conducted, obtained a determination index of 0.78 which means; mastery of sociolinguistic concepts contributes 78% to the achievement of students' pragmatic skills. In accordance with the results of the above analysis, it can be concluded that mastery of sociolinguistic concepts is a variable of criteria that contributes very meaningfully to the improvement of pragmatic skills. Thus, the research hypothesis yaang said that the mastery of the concept of sociolinguistics contributes meaningfully to the development of pragmatic skills of students of SMP Negeri 1 Nias Selatan, the truth is proven


Author(s):  
Michelle Lee ◽  
Lauren Bush ◽  
Gary E. Martin ◽  
Jamie Barstein ◽  
Nell Maltman ◽  
...  

Abstract This longitudinal study examined pragmatic language in boys and girls with Down syndrome (DS) at up to three time points, using parent report, standardized and direct assessments. We also explored relationships among theory of mind, executive function, nonverbal mental age, receptive and expressive vocabulary, grammatical complexity, and pragmatic competence. Controlling for cognitive and language abilities, children with DS demonstrated greater difficulty than younger typically developing controls on parent report and standardized assessments, but only girls with DS differed on direct assessments. Further, pragmatic skills of individuals with DS developed at a delayed rate relative to controls. Some sex-specific patterns of pragmatic impairments emerged. Theory of mind and executive function both correlated with pragmatic competence. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Selena Irene Neumark

How are women utilizing the capabilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the service of social and political transformation in the wake of the Arab Spring Uprisings? The structure of information flows on new media platforms have enabled activist groups to gain leverage in political systems and social contexts that otherwise marginalized them and this was never more apparent in the use of ICTs during the Arab Spring. However, Morocco continues to be a largely forgotten hub of revolution as researchers grapple with the systemic shifts observed in countries like Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Women’s rights movements in Morocco exploded in increased action, engagement and influence during the same period, largely by virtue of increased accessibility to and innovative capabilities of ICTs. Morocco’s movement for women’s rights and democratisation (gradualist movement) is a lesser-explored context of women’s heightened engagement since the Arab Spring and hence, the focus of this research. Women’s use of alternative civic spaces to organize and enact social and political change has resulted in global networks of activism that are changing the climate of the MENA as well as perceptions of it from elsewhere. The region, while often politically turbulent, is also characterized according to a single narrative in the West. The “resistance against communal norms” and broadening use of digital media as an extension to existing women’s voices (Robinson, 2014, p. ii) has helped disseminate critical knowledge on the importance of gender equity to democratic ideals. It has also put an emphasis on women’s public praxis in Morocco over their religious affiliations or domestic labour. Keywords: new media, Morocco, activism, communication, technology, social justice


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
M. Zaini Miftah

This article reports the results of investigation on the utilization of Edmodo as an online tool in EFL writing class to increase the students’ ability in producing an argumentative essay. Classroom Action Research was applied in the study. 15 Indonesian EFL students who enrolled in the course of Argumentative Writing became the participants of the study. Observation, writing task, questionnaire, and field notes were used for the data collection. The data obtained were categorized into qualitative and quantitative data. The collected data were then analyzed for the conclusion drawn. The results show that the utilization of Edmodo in EFL writing class could significantly increase the students’ ability in producing an argumentative essay in the Cycle 2. The Appropriate teaching procedures are; prepare the teaching materials, introduce Edmodo, guide students to get ready to use Edmodo, give an opportunity to students to get in the Edmodo group, train students to use Edmodo group, group students in the small group via Edmodo, give students writing tasks through Edmodo, provide a guideline and tell students to follow the guideline to access their small group, ask students to post their first drafts of an argumentative essay on their small groups, ask students to give feedback on their peers’ works, ask students to revise their drafts of the argumentative essay based on the their peers’ feedback and teacher, and ask students to post their final products of an argumentative essay on their Edmodo account.Keywords: Edmodo; Online tool, EFL writing class, Writing ability, Argumentative essay


Author(s):  
Kathy A. Mills ◽  
Len Unsworth

Multimodal literacy is a term that originates in social semiotics, and refers to the study of language that combines two or more modes of meaning. The related term, multimodality, refers to the constitution of multiple modes in semiosis or meaning making. Modes are defined differently across schools of thought, and the classification of modes is somewhat contested. However, from a social semiotic approach, modes are the socially and culturally shaped resources or semiotic structure for making meaning. Specific examples of modes from a social semiotic perspective include speech, gesture, written language, music, mathematical notation, drawings, photographic images, or moving digital images. Language and literacy practices have always been multimodal, because communication requires attending to diverse kinds of meanings, whether of spoken or written words, visual images, gestures, posture, movement, sound, or silence. Yet, undeniably, the affordances of people-driven digital media and textual production have given rise to an exponential increase in the circulation of multimodal texts in networked digital environments. Multimodal text production has become a central part of everyday life for many people throughout the life course, and across cultures and societies. This has been enabled by the ease of producing and sharing digital images, music, video games, apps, and other digital media via the Internet and mobile technologies. The increasing significance of multimodal literacy for communication has led to a growing body of research and theory to address the differing potentials of modes and their intermodality for making meaning. The study of multimodal literacy learning in schools and society is an emergent field of research, which begins with the important recognition that reading and writing are rarely practiced as discrete skills, but are intimately connected to the use of multimodal texts, often in digital contexts of use. The implications of multimodal literacy for pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment in education is an expanding field of multimodal research. In addition, there is a growing attention to multimodal literacy practices that are practiced in informal social contexts, from early childhood to adolescence and adulthood, such as in homes, recreational sites, communities, and workplaces.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-69
Author(s):  
Merawati Hutauruk ◽  
Dian Puspita

This research aimed to investigate the possibilities of pragmatic failure done by Indonesian EFL students through their translation. This study employed theories by Thomas (1983) and Muir et al (2011) to answer the research question coming along with the problem concerned. As mentioned by Natrio (2018) that Indonesian EFL students lack pragmatic competence because they don’t recognize the intention of one language transferring is inappropriate. This research used a descriptive qualitative method in collecting the data. The data were coming from students‟ performance in translating short dialogue texts which contained idioms in them. The instrument given was two-way translation, English-Indonesian, and vice versa. As the result, this study found that the respondents experienced pragmatic failure in their performance which happened in several types, namely pragma-linguistic failure and socio-pragmatic failure, both of which were found in all types of texts given. It was also found that the failure that happened in English-Indonesian text was higher in number compared to the other type of text in which in all the data found, the failure in English –Indonesian text translation is 161 while in Indonesian-English text translation is 139. On the other hand, this study also revealed that the factors of the students‟ pragmatic failure that happened in their translation performance were coming from both the pragmatic transfer which influenced by either their native, source language or their understanding and lack of linguistic proficiency.


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silje Brubæk

The present article presents an investigation of Norwegian students of English as a foreign language (EFL) and their pragmatic competence in English. The importance of developing such a competence receives a strong focus in the English subject curriculum. However, very few studies have been conducted in the field of pragmatics in Norway, and even fewer Norwegian studies have focused on students’ pragmatic competence in a second language. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate whether Norwegian EFL students would be familiar with and show awareness of English politeness norms and pragmatic conventions when having to communicate in English. Would they be able to adapt their language, choice of strategy and level of formality to the contextual demands when making requests in the second language (L2)? Forty students answered a simplified version of a discourse completion test (DCT) consisting of four different situations in which the students had to make requests. The results, which were analysed by means of Brown and Levinson’s theory of face threatening acts, indicated that most of the students were at one of the beginning stages of English pragmatic development. Their language use was characterized by first language (L1) transfer and overuse of familiar and informal expressions. When faced with more formal and demanding situations, they fell short and clearly lacked the knowledge and competence that would allow them to communicate successfully. It can be argued that these findings might indicate a lack of focus in Norwegian schools when it comes to developing students’ pragmatic competence. If this is true, an important part of the subject curriculum is being neglected.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Benavides Buitrago

This research study took place in a public school in Bogota with 38 students from 7th grade who were among 12 and 16 years of age. This qualitative action research intends (a) to identify discourses students draw on to construct social identities in the EFL classroom b) to describe social identities constructed discursively in relation to gender-based short stories and c) to study the potential relationship between these discursively constructed social identities in gendered-related reading activities and foreign language learning. Data was collected by observing and analyzing three pedagogical units, which were designed by following the stages of the Task Based Learning Approach (TBL). Besides that, I used field notes, video and audio recordings and students´ artifacts. Data was analyzed by following the steps proposed by Grounded theory (GT) (Charmaz, 2006) and the principles of Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis (CCDA) (Kumaravadivelu, 1999). Data revealed a main category and three subcategories, which showed the relationship between the gender-based short stories read by the students and the identities they portrayed during the lessons.


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