ERIC Number: EJ945399
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Sep
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1072-4303
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Integrating Pragmatics into the MA-TESL Program: Perspectives from Former Students
Vasquez, Camilla; Fioramonte, Amy
TESL-EJ, v15 n2 Sep 2011
This article describes a semester-long course focusing on pragmatics and language teaching, which is a curricular requirement in a Master's TESL program at one U.S. university. An exploratory study was conducted with a sample of students who had taken the course in the past 5 years, to determine whether they had been able to incorporate what they learned in the pragmatics course into their subsequent ESL/EFL (and, in some cases, other language) teaching. Participants' responses to open-ended items on an email questionnaire were analyzed for emergent themes. The article reports on the primary topic areas and techniques participants use to teach pragmatics to their ESL/EFL learners, the major obstacles facing teachers in bringing pragmatics into their language classrooms--as well as a few unexpected learning outcomes that students associated with this course. We conclude with a set of suggestions for other TESL educators who may also be interested in teaching students about pragmatics. (Contains 4 notes.)
Descriptors: Graduate Study, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Communicative Competence (Languages), Pragmatics, Cultural Differences, Cultural Awareness, Instructional Materials, Electronic Mail, Content Analysis, Culturally Relevant Education, Teacher Education
TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A