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Chapter 10. The effects of task type and L2 proficiency on discourse appropriacy in oral task performance

  • Monika Ekiert , Sofia Lampropoulou , Andrea Révész and Eivind Torgersen
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Task-Based Approaches to Teaching and Assessing Pragmatics
This chapter is in the book Task-Based Approaches to Teaching and Assessing Pragmatics

Abstract

Conceived within the TBLT framework, the present study examined pedagogic tasks as vehicles for demonstrating L2 learners’ discourse appropriacy in oral production. Eighty ESL learners’ discourse appropriacy was measured using three pragmatically-oriented task types (complaint, refusal, and advice) across four different proficiency levels. The findings showed that, for all task types, as general proficiency increased, ratings of discourse appropriacy also increased. We found that there was a pronounced difference in discourse appropriacy between the intermediate and advanced proficiency levels, and that for learners at higher levels of proficiency, discourse appropriacy did not vary from task to task. In contrast, task type made a difference for less proficient learners in that the refusal task was particularly challenging compared with other tasks.

Abstract

Conceived within the TBLT framework, the present study examined pedagogic tasks as vehicles for demonstrating L2 learners’ discourse appropriacy in oral production. Eighty ESL learners’ discourse appropriacy was measured using three pragmatically-oriented task types (complaint, refusal, and advice) across four different proficiency levels. The findings showed that, for all task types, as general proficiency increased, ratings of discourse appropriacy also increased. We found that there was a pronounced difference in discourse appropriacy between the intermediate and advanced proficiency levels, and that for learners at higher levels of proficiency, discourse appropriacy did not vary from task to task. In contrast, task type made a difference for less proficient learners in that the refusal task was particularly challenging compared with other tasks.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgement vii
  4. Series editors’ preface ix
  5. Chapter 1. Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics 1
  6. Part I. Teaching pragmatics through tasks
  7. Chapter 2. Learning of Korean honorifics through collaborative tasks 27
  8. Chapter 3. Effects of task supported language teaching on learners’ use and knowledge of email request mitigators 55
  9. Chapter 4. Task complexity effects on interaction during a collaborative persuasive writing task 83
  10. Part II. Using tasks to elicit pragmatics language use
  11. Chapter 5. Task modality effects on Spanish learners’ interlanguage pragmatic development 113
  12. Chapter 6. Developing pragmatic competence through tasks in EFL contexts 137
  13. Chapter 7. Independently measuring cognitive complexity in task design for interlanguage pragmatics development 159
  14. Chapter 8. Pragmatics, tasks, and technology 191
  15. Part III. Task-based assessment of pragmatics
  16. Chapter 9. Task design and validity evidence for assessment of L2 pragmatics in interaction 217
  17. Chapter 10. The effects of task type and L2 proficiency on discourse appropriacy in oral task performance 247
  18. Chapter 11. Assessing functional adequacy of L2 performance in a task-based approach 265
  19. Chapter 12. Pragmatics in task-based language assessment 287
  20. Bio notes 305
  21. Index 311
https://doi.org/10.1075/tblt.10.10eki

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgement vii
  4. Series editors’ preface ix
  5. Chapter 1. Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics 1
  6. Part I. Teaching pragmatics through tasks
  7. Chapter 2. Learning of Korean honorifics through collaborative tasks 27
  8. Chapter 3. Effects of task supported language teaching on learners’ use and knowledge of email request mitigators 55
  9. Chapter 4. Task complexity effects on interaction during a collaborative persuasive writing task 83
  10. Part II. Using tasks to elicit pragmatics language use
  11. Chapter 5. Task modality effects on Spanish learners’ interlanguage pragmatic development 113
  12. Chapter 6. Developing pragmatic competence through tasks in EFL contexts 137
  13. Chapter 7. Independently measuring cognitive complexity in task design for interlanguage pragmatics development 159
  14. Chapter 8. Pragmatics, tasks, and technology 191
  15. Part III. Task-based assessment of pragmatics
  16. Chapter 9. Task design and validity evidence for assessment of L2 pragmatics in interaction 217
  17. Chapter 10. The effects of task type and L2 proficiency on discourse appropriacy in oral task performance 247
  18. Chapter 11. Assessing functional adequacy of L2 performance in a task-based approach 265
  19. Chapter 12. Pragmatics in task-based language assessment 287
  20. Bio notes 305
  21. Index 311
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