The Role of ComputerMediation in the Instruction and Development of L2 Pragmatic Competence

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The Role of Computer-Mediation in the Instruction
and Development of L2 Pragmatic Competence

• Julie A. Belz, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor of English and Applied
  Linguistics
• Director, TESOL Certificate Program
• Indiana University School of Liberal Arts
• First Annual TESOL Conference
• TESOL in a Globalized World Exploring the
  Challenges
• American University of Sharjah
• United Arab Emirates
• 24 February 2008

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Globalization

• a multidimensional set of social processes that
  create, multiply, stretch, and intensify
  world-wide social interdependencies and exchanges
  while at the same time fostering in people a
  growing awareness of deepening connections
  between the local and the distant (Steger,
  2003, p. 13)
• The most distinctive feature of the current
  phase of globalization is the global electronic
  communication, the Internet. (Kumaravadivelu,
  2006, p. 4)
• a communicational concept, which alternately
  masks and transmits cultural or economic
  meanings (Jameson, 1998, p. 55)

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Cultural Globalization

• Cultural Homogenization Globalization
  Westernization Americanization
  McDonaldization (Barber, 1996 Ritzer, 1993)
• Cultural Heterogenization resurgence of local
  cultural and religious identities in response to
  threat posed by globalization (Giddens, 2000
  Tomlinson, 1999)
• Glocalization a tension between cultural
  homogenization and heterogenization whereby the
  local becomes global and the global becomes local
  (Appadurai, 1996 Robertson, 1992)

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Post-Method TESOL Pedagogy

• Parameter of Particularity Relevant language
  pedagogy is sensitive to particular teachers,
  learners, and goals embedded in a particular
  institutional context and sociocultural milieu
  (Kumaravadivelu, 2003, p. 34).
• Parameter of Practicality A teachers theory of
  practice is formed by the microlevel of the
  classroom and the macrolevel of society (ibid.,
  p. 36).
• Parameter of Possibility Language education is a
  site for the contestation and shaping of
  learners identities (ibid., p. 37).

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Telecollaboration
Community/Culture 1
Community/Culture 2
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Globalized Group Work
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Goals of Telecollaboration

• To create opportunities for high-stakes
  intercultural exploration with age peers (Belz,
  2002 Furstenberg et al., 2001 Schneider von
  der Emde, 2006)
• To diversify the range of discourse options
  available to learners in the L2 (Belz
  Kinginger, 2003 Belz Thorne, 2006)
• To facilitate linguistic and pragmatic
  development as well as intercultural competence
  (Byram, 1997 Dussias, 2006 Vyatkina Belz,
  2006)

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Relational Knowledge

• Hijab Scene 2

• You people have such restrictive dress for
  women, she said, hobbling away in three-inch
  heels and panty hose to finish out another
  pink-collar temp pool day.
• (Kahf, 2003, p. 42)

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Pragmatic Competence Definitions

• the way speakers and writers accomplish goals as
  social actors who do not need to just get things
  done but must attend to their interpersonal
  relationships with other participants at the same
  time (Kasper Rose, 2001, p. 2)
• Grammar relates to the accuracy of structure,
  including morphology and syntax, whereas
  pragmatics addresses language use and is
  concerned with the appropriateness of utterances
  given specific situations, speakers, and content
  (Bardovi-Harlig Dörnyei, 1998, p. 223)

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Contrastive Pragmatics

• Appreciation token (Nelson, Al Batal, Echols,
  1996, p. 418)
• S1 Thats a really cool shirt
• S2 thanks
• Acceptance formula (Nelson, Al Batal, Echols,
  1996, p. 426)
• S1 Your face is shining todayyou look beautiful
• S2 May your days be beautiful, this is perhaps
  the light of faith
• Interpretation of compliment as request (Al
  Falasi, 2007, p. 37)
• S1 I love your clock. It looks great in your
  living room!
• S2 You must take it! I swear, you must!

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Challenging Aspects of L2 Pragmatics

• Availability and Authenticity/Authentication of
  Instructional Materials
• Exposure to Broadened Discourse Options and
  Performance and Practice in Meaningful
  Interactions
• Longitudinal Documentation of Developmental
  Pathways
• Relationship between Particular Pedagogical
  Interventions and Learning Outcomes

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Broadened Discourse Options

• Europeans and Americans videoconference Spring
  2003
• Mary (USA) This is Mary. I know where Im from
  everyone is in support of the war because we all
  have a military unit in our home town. Were just
  very supportive of the soldiers..this is a real
  emotional topic for me
• Sylvia (Europe) would you relate this pro-war
  decision to what happened Sept 11? That is
  something I would understand. That happened in
  your country and this was a war of revenge which
  made you feel better. Would you agree with that?
• Teresa (USA) Ill answer thatthis is the first
  time in a long time that the US was an aggressor
  in a war and thats an example of how things have
  changed in this country since that day

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Broadened Discourse Options (cont.)

• Ana (Europe) I am from Poland and maybe you
  know that Poland was the first country to be
  attacked by Germany in WWII and very many
  people died. For me war is the worst thing and
  there can be no reason to explain it.
• Mary (USA) This is Mary again. I know that this
  is not a popular opinion. I think that the other
  day I said that war is necessary sometimes. I
  guess where Im coming from is if we didnt step
  in during the civil war in the US we would
  still have slavery. If we didnt step in during
  the Nazi time-frame, Hitler would have killed
  many more people. I feel like we get blamed a lot
  of times for stepping in, but a lot of times we
  are asked to step in and then we get blamed for
  it. Thats where Im coming from with my
  feelings, my emotion, my anger, because a lot of
  boys have died Mary begins to cry for a cause
  we had no business being there but we were asked
  to be there and we were blamed for it later Mary
  continues to cry (ODowd, 2006, pp. 102-103)

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Peer Assistance and Noticing

• German Gabi and American Joe chat November 2000
• Gabi Did you get my e-mail that Ive sent you in
  our partner folders?
• Joe Your formal idea about First Love and How
  it Effects Prejudice?
• Gabi Joe PLEASE call me informal you.
• Joe Im sorry, I get confused with pronouns
  sometimes....
• Joe i dont mean to call you formal you
• Joe I just mix up the words
• Gabi No worries! No worries about you calling
  me formal you
• (Belz Kinginger, 2002, p. 205)

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Learning Outcomes
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Pragmatic Competence?

• European learner of English to American NS
  email November 2000
• Dear Eric,
• we are not very much impressed with your
  work!!We think you dont do any partner work
  with us at allwe wrote the conclusions of our
  essay in our language and we are not going to
  rewrite them in English. If you really need them
  in English to get a better mark, please change
  them by yourself, we are happy with them as they
  arewe noticed that you dont seem very
  interested in anything of usWe need to read some
  letters from you to get a picture of the part of
  America where you are living in, and Eric, if
  this is too much for you, you might have thought
  about it before taking that course
• (Belz, 2005, p. 4)

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Creation of New Stereotypes

• American NS commenting on telecollaborative
  partnership post-semester interview December
  2000
• You know all that stuff we said at the beginning
  of the semester? Like theyre punctual and
  hard-working? Well, its not true!
• (Belz, 2005, p. 4)

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