L2 Arabic pragmatics in the classroom: Insights from language instructors’ beliefs and practices

Abstract

Instructional pragmatics praxis has received increased attention in recent years, but a good deal of this literature has focused on the L2 English context. More research is needed to determine the state of instructional pragmatics in other languages, such as Arabic, which has witnessed a foregrounding of interactional and pragmatic competence (Al Masaeed et al., 2020) that has not always been present. Therefore, the current study focused on L2 Arabic instructors in various countries to explore the state of pragmatics teaching in the field of L2 Arabic. To this end, the study utilized an online survey and follow-up interviews to contribute to our understanding of how teachers conceptualize pragmatics, how they approach instruction, and what needs and challenges they report when teaching pragmatics. The study also examined their perceptions of the quality and quantity of material available to them, their perceived levels of self-efficacy in teaching pragmatics, pre-service training, and how pragmatics teaching may differ across proficiency levels and institutional contexts. Data were collected from 52 teachers of Arabic as a second language (referred to here as L2 Arabic teachers) from various countries including USA, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and France. Findings showed that while L2 Arabic teachers feel positively and passionately about teaching pragmatics and feel committed to integrating it into their classroom, there is a clear need for additional training and curriculum development to support their teaching of L2 Arabic pragmatics. Many teachers are well poised to benefit from such resources, but many are less prepared and may need a thorough grounding in the principles of instructional pragmatics. Consequently, the study concludes by underscoring the need for additional pre-service training, instructional scaffolding, and institutional support so teachers can be empowered to enhance their L2 Arabic learners’ pragmatic competence.