PERSPECTIVES OF ENGLISH MAJORS AT CAN THO UNIVERSITY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE IN EFFECTIVE ENGLISH COMMUNICATION

Le Thi Thai Tran, Nguyen Huynh Hue Thu

Abstract


The present research examines English major students' perceptions regarding the role of pragmatic competence in effective English communication. Pragmatic competence — knowing how to use a language under specific social and cultural circumstances — is vital to effective communication; however, it is frequently overlooked in conventional language teaching. The current investigation was designed to investigate the consciousness of pragmatic features among learners, their confidence in their ability to apply these in actual communicative situations, and their preferred way of instruction for developing pragmatic skills. Data were gained through a questionnaire for 94 English-major students. Results show that while students understand the value of pragmatic competence, they often face challenges in applying it due to limited exposure to authentic English and insufficient classroom focus on real-life communication strategies. The findings suggest a gap between students’ awareness and their actual communicative performance, highlighting the need for curriculum improvements. This study provides useful insights for teachers and curriculum designers aiming to enhance communicative competence in EFL contexts.

 

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Keywords


pragmatic, pragmatic competence, English majors, effective communication, speaking

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v10i2.6144

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