L2 Pragmatic Development Through Study Abroad: Change of Speed and Accuracy in Appropriateness Judgment

Abstract

The present study investigates how study abroad in the United Kingdom affects the development of second language (L2) pragmatic competence. Specifically, this study examined the development of L2 learners’ speed and accuracy in judging the appropriateness of L2 requests. The participants comprised 22 Japanese university-level English as a foreign language learners who experienced a four-month study abroad in a homestay environment. They performed the same pragmatic appropriateness judgment task before (as a pretest in February 2014) and at the end (as a posttest in July 2014) of study abroad. The task consisted of six appropriate and 10 inappropriate scenarios. The participants were asked to judge whether or not an L2 request sentence was appropriate in a given context as rapidly and accurately as possible and their reaction times and accuracy of judgment were measured. Overall, the results showed that appropriateness judgment became faster and more accurate over time. These results suggest positive effects of study abroad on the development of L2 pragmatic competence.