Instructional effects on L2 pragmatic comprehension: the case of indirect refusals and indirect opinions

Understanding indirect meaning: A close replication

“…Instead, they relied strongly on keyword inferencing (32.5%), visual cues (22.9%), and process of elimination (16.9%), all three of which were referenced when participants admitted to not understanding any or much of the target utterance. In such cases, learners relied on these strategies to essentially guess the answer, a phenomenon that was also observed in Nguyen and Pham (2022), Taguchi (2002, 2009a), and Yamanaka (2003. It may then be more appropriate to talk about compensatory strategies rather than inferencing strategies in these cases.…”

“…We suggest that similarities between L1 and L2 conventions may have facilitated comprehension in our study. Indeed previous research (Ellis et al, 2021; Kim & Lantolf, 2016; Nguyen & Pham, 2022; Taguchi, 2002; Taguchi & Yamaguchi, 2019) shows that when culture‐specific conventions are not shared between L1 and L2, explicit instruction is often necessary for learners to develop the pragmatic skills needed to comprehend indirect meaning. In the case of our study, any time our interview participants were able to understand the literal meaning of the target utterance, they were able to reach the correct intended interpretation of the indirect meaning, often through logical reasoning or background knowledge.…”

“…To explore how learners acquire the ability to comprehend indirect meaning in their L2, researchers have generally presented participants with short contexts, including an instance of indirect meaning and then asked them to interpret the indirect meaning utterance, often using a multiple-choice question (Bouton, 1992(Bouton, , 1994Cook & Liddicoat, 2002;Nguyen & Pham, 2022;Shively et al, 2008;Taguchi, 2002Taguchi, , 2005Taguchi, , 2008Taguchi, , 2009aTaguchi, , 2009bTaguchi, , 2011Yamanaka, 2003). The types of indirect meaning investigated in these studies have varied (e.g., indirect requests, indirect opinions, indirect refusals, indirect suggestions, and irony), and one of the striking findings from this body of research concerns the fact that different types of indirect meaning appear to show different learning trajectories.…”

Investigating the Perceptions and Attitudes of ESL Learners Towards theUse of Immersive Reader Technology in Enhancing Reading Comprehension at the Secondary School Level

“…By investigating the experiences of English as a Second Language (ESL) students, the purpose of this research is to offer valuable insights into the applicability and impact of Immersive Reader technology in educational settings that are based in the real world (Thuy et al, 2022). With these findings, educators and policymakers will have access to facts regarding the efficacy of such devices in language learning, and they will also contribute to the larger conversation about learning through the use of technology.…”