Classroom Pragmatics Skills: Investigating Adolescents Learning English as a Second Language

Abstract

Pragmatics is defined as the use of language in context. Students must choose language appropriate to both personal and academic purposes. The appropriate use of school pragmatics also applies to students learning English as a second language (ESL). The purpose of this study was to report the findings of a comparison of pragmatic performance, using the Adolescent Pragmatics Screening Scale (APSS), between two groups of students who had been enrolled in ESL classes for varying lengths of time. Results yielded information about the rate at which Latino bilingual students' English pragmatic skills emerged. Significant differences between group means on only one pragmatic topic and a trend toward significance on a second topic support earlier research that students require longer than four years to master pragmatics when English is the second language. Teaching suggestions are provided.