The interactive effect of pragmatic eliciting tasks on EFL pre-intermediate learners speaking proficiency

The present study investigated the effect of pragmatic eliciting tasks on EFL pre-intermediate learners’ speaking proficiency. Interactive pragmatics refer to conversation exchanges through which the learners can get the intended meaning. Eliciting tasks refer to the learners’ abilities in conversations to produce, receive and process information in speed. Thus this study aimed at comparing the English language learners who used pragmatic eliciting tasks and the ones who used traditional speaking activities such as questions and answers, discussion, etc. In doing so, 40 learners out of 80 were selected through Oxford Placement Test (OPT) with the band score of 30 to 39. Then they were non-randomly divided into two equal experimental and control groups through convenience sampling method. Both groups took a teacher-made pre-test on speaking proficiency and the scores were recorded. The experimental group received pragmatic eliciting tasks including explicit uses of pragmatic functions of speech (i.e., greeting, thanking, etc.) while the control group received these pragmatic tasks implicitly. The treatment sessions lasted for five weeks, two sessions a week, each 90 minutes. Finally, both groups took a post-test which was the modified pre-test. Data were analyzed through Independent and Paired Sample t-test and the results showed that explicit instruction on pragmatic eliciting tasks was more effective than the implicit ones in the control group. Implications of the study can be used in the classroom for teaching speaking and listening.