INTRODUCTION
Rationale
English is the most widely used international communication tool, making it essential for Vietnamese learners to master it for effective interaction with foreigners Despite having strong reading and writing skills and a solid grasp of grammar and vocabulary, many struggle with real-life communication due to a lack of pragmatic knowledge This gap in understanding social, cultural, and discourse conventions hinders their ability to interpret utterances and express themselves appropriately As noted by experts like Bardovi-Harlig (1999) and Bachman (1990), success in communication requires not only grammatical proficiency but also an awareness of pragmatic aspects Without this awareness, Vietnamese learners may experience significant communication breakdowns in intercultural settings.
As an English teacher at Vietnam University of Commerce, the researcher has observed that students often struggle with effective communication in English, both in classroom settings and real-life interactions Many students lack the appropriate strategies and linguistic forms necessary for successful speech acts, often disregarding crucial factors such as their relationship with conversation partners This challenge intensifies when interacting with native speakers, as limited exposure to real-life scenarios leaves them feeling confused and unable to respond appropriately Additionally, students frequently violate politeness and cultural norms, which hampers their ability to engage in intercultural communication This issue may stem from a lack of awareness or emphasis on pragmatic aspects of language use.
Such a situation has inspired the author to carry out a research paper into
“Students’ pragmatic awareness and implications for English classroom teaching at
The Vietnam University of Commerce emphasizes enhancing the pragmatic awareness of first-year non-English major students The article outlines key pedagogical strategies aimed at improving students' understanding of pragmatic concepts, ultimately aiming to boost the effectiveness of English language instruction.
Aims of the study
This research aims to investigate the pragmatic awareness of first-year non-English major students at the university, with the goal of developing effective teaching techniques to enhance this awareness Establishing a strong foundation in pragmatic understanding is crucial for these freshmen, as it prepares them for self-directed learning and supports their academic journey in subsequent years and throughout their lives By prioritizing pragmatic aspects from the outset of their university experience, students can achieve a clearer orientation in their English studies, ultimately improving their learning outcomes Additionally, the findings of this study are intended to contribute to the enhancement of teaching quality at the university.
Research questions
The study is aimed at answering two research questions:
1 How much are VUC 1 st year non-English major students aware of English pragmatic aspects?
2 What should be done to improve the students‘ pragmatic awareness?
Scope of the study
This study investigates the pragmatic awareness of first-year non-English major students at VUC, who have not received explicit instruction in pragmatics Future research will focus on English major students and those in their second, third, or fourth years Due to time constraints, the study involves a limited number of participants Additionally, the survey questionnaire targets only American native speakers, using American social and cultural norms as the foundation for analyzing and evaluating the appropriateness of the students' responses.
Significance of the study
This study aims to benefit VUC teachers, students, and Vietnamese education policymakers by enhancing the understanding of pragmatics in language learning It will equip teachers with effective strategies to emphasize pragmatic aspects, enabling students to use English more effectively in their professional and academic pursuits Additionally, the research seeks to boost VUC students' pragmatic awareness, fostering greater engagement in classroom activities By presenting extensive relevant literature, the study will offer insights for educators and policymakers to develop pragmatically authentic materials and introduce pragmatic-oriented assessments into the curriculum Furthermore, it will contribute to the understanding of pragmatic awareness in Vietnam, a relatively unexplored area, while suggesting new avenues for future research.
Design of the study
The study consists of three main parts as follows:
Part A: Introduction: This part presents the rationale, aims, methods, scope, significance and design of the study
Part B of the article consists of four chapters, beginning with Chapter I, which offers a literature review that establishes a theoretical foundation on pragmatic awareness and identifies gaps in previous research Chapter II outlines the methodology, detailing the research process from the initial study design to the final stages of data collection and analysis.
Chapter III: Data Analysis and Findings: This chapter interprets the answer to the posed research questions: How much are VUC 1 st year non-English major students aware of English pragmatic aspects? What should be done to improve the students‘ pragmatic awareness? The findings end with conclusions and comments Chapter IV: Implications: This chapter recommends possible improvements for both teachers and students with an aim to raise the students‘ pragmatic awareness
Part C: Conclusion: This part summarises the main contents and findings of the study, limitations of the present study and some suggestions for further studies.
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter provides the theoretical foundation for the study by defining key concepts of pragmatics and pragmatic awareness, highlighting their relevance and significance to the research topics examined.
Pragmatics, a branch of Linguistics that emerged in the late 1970s, was first introduced by Charles Morris in 1938 as part of his semiotic theory, which encompasses syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics.
Since its introduction by Morris, pragmatics has been defined in various ways by scholars such as Leech, Levinson, and Yule, focusing on the meaning conveyed by speakers or writers Ultimately, pragmatics can be summarized as "the study of meaning" (Griffith).
2006, p 1) or ―the study of the use of context to make inferences about meaning‖ (Fasold
Pragmatics, as defined by Crystal (in Kasper, 2001), focuses on the study of language through the lens of its users, emphasizing their choices, the constraints they face in social interactions, and the impact of their language use on communication partners Essentially, it examines communicative actions within their sociocultural contexts Kasper (2001) further elaborates that these actions encompass not only speech acts like apologizing, complaining, and requesting but also involve various types of discourse and participation in speech events of differing lengths and complexities.
Pragmatics encompasses a range of study areas, including invisible meaning, context, deixis, reference, inference, anaphora, presupposition, and speech acts Yule (2006) highlights these elements, emphasizing their significance in understanding communication Notably, scholars such as Austin (1962) and Searle (1969) have explored speech acts, identifying three distinct types: locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts Building on their foundational work, researchers like Billmeyer (1990) and Cohen and Olshtain have further contributed to the field, enhancing our understanding of how language functions in social contexts.
(1993), Bouton (1994), and Tateyama (2001) have investigated some specific pragmatic aspects focusing on such speech acts as complimenting, apologising, and requesting and comprehension of implicature
Grice (1975) diverged from scholars concentrating on speech acts by investigating the reasons behind successful conversations between interlocutors In contrast, Brown and Levinson (1978) and Leech (1983) focused their research on the concept of politeness in communication.
This study explores the classification of pragmatics as proposed by Leech and Thomas, identifying two key components: pragmalinguistics and sociopragmatics The discussion will focus on these aspects of pragmatics in relation to the use of speech acts.
Speech act theory, introduced by Austin in 1962, posits that certain utterances, referred to as performatives, do more than convey information; they function as actions themselves These speech acts allow individuals to perform various functions such as apologizing, promising, requesting, refusing, and complaining, effectively enabling them to influence actions and responses in communication.
Austin (1962) categorised speech acts into different aspects: locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary
A locutionary act refers to the act of uttering a sentence that has a specific meaning and reference Every time a speaker makes an utterance, they engage in a locutionary act, which involves creating a linguistically well-formed and meaningful expression.
An illocutionary act refers to the communicative function behind a statement, offer, or promise made when uttering a sentence, defined by its conventional force Essentially, it captures the speaker's intended purpose in communication For instance, the phrase "It's hot in here" can serve multiple illocutionary functions, such as a simple observation, an invitation to open a window, or a request for action, depending on the context in which it is spoken.
A perlocutionary act refers to the effects that a speaker's utterance has on the audience, which can vary based on the context, leading to feelings such as amusement or annoyance Among the three types of speech acts, the illocutionary act is considered the most significant, as it represents the speaker's intended outcome from their utterance According to Yule (1996), the concept of speech acts is often narrowly defined to focus primarily on illocutionary force, emphasizing its distinctive role in communication.
Searle provided a classification of speech acts according to their functions; he divided them into five categories including ―representatives‖, ―directives‖,
(i) representatives, which commit the speaker to the truth of expressed proposition (paradigm cases: asserting, concluding, etc.)
(ii) directives, which are attempts by the speaker to get the addressee to do something (paradigm cases: requesting, questioning, etc.)
(iii) commissives, which commit the speaker to some future course of action (paradigm cases: promising, threatening, offering)
(iv) expressives, which express a psychological state (paradigm cases: thanking, apologizing, welcoming, congratulating)
Declarative statements bring about immediate changes in institutional circumstances and often depend on complex extra-linguistic systems Examples of such declarations include excommunication, declaring war, christening, and terminating employment.
1.1.2.2 Pragmalinguistics 1.1.2.2.1 Definitions and aspects of pragmalinguistics
Pragmalinguistics encompasses the tools used to express communicative acts and interpersonal meanings, including pragmatic strategies like directness, indirectness, and various linguistic forms that can either soften or intensify communication This term is relevant in the study of pragmatics, focusing on the specific linguistic resources available in a language for conveying particular illocutionary acts (Leech, 1983, p 11).
In short, pragmalinguistics refers to knowledge of the linguistic means to perform speech acts (Schmitt, 2002, p 80) For example, a request can be made in the following ways:1-
Requests can be categorized into three types: direct requests, such as "Pass the salt, will you?"; conventionally indirect requests, like "Can you pass the salt, please?"; and non-conventionally indirect requests, exemplified by "I like my food quite salty." Similarly, apologies can vary in form, with simple expressions like "Sorry" contrasting with more elaborate ones, such as "I’m absolutely devastated—could you possibly find it in your heart to forgive me?" These variations highlight the importance of pragmalinguistics, which encompasses two key aspects: conventions of means (strategies for expressing speech intentions) and conventions of forms (the specific linguistic items used) The conventions of means involve the semantic devices that facilitate speech acts, while conventions of forms pertain to the exact phrasing employed For instance, requests can be articulated through different semantic formulas, ranging from direct obligations to indirect wishes, as seen in phrases like "You must lend me your car" or "I would like to borrow your car."
―Could you lend me your car?‖, or ―My car has broken down.‖, and so on
Searle (1969, 1975), building on Austin's work, introduced the concept of indirect speech acts, highlighting that while direct speech acts have a clear connection between form and function, indirect speech acts do not This lack of transparency means that the illocutionary force of indirect speech acts is not derived from their surface structure Essentially, indirect speech acts involve two components: a primary illocutionary act and a secondary act, where the primary act is conveyed through the secondary one For instance, instead of directly requesting a drink by saying "Give me a drink," a guest might phrase it as "I don't suppose you have any cold water?"
The phenomenon of ―indirect speech acts‖ is considered universal across all languages and it is those indirect speech acts that make up the majority in everyday conversations
METHODOLOGY
This chapter outlines the context of VUC for the current research, detailing the research design and the methodological steps taken throughout the study It provides an in-depth description of the participants, the data collection instruments utilized, the procedures followed, and the methods employed for data analysis, all integral to the investigation.
The research conducted at VUC focused on non-English major students, who are required to complete six semesters of English courses, ranging from level 1 to 6, equivalent to English 1.1 and English 1.6 These courses emphasize business-related topics, equipping students with practical skills for their future careers Each course is valued at two credits and follows a structured format of 24 class periods, 9 group presentation sessions, and 12 self-study periods.
In the first semester, students undergo a written exam to determine their class placements, followed by the English 1.1 course in the second semester This course utilizes the textbook "English 1.1," adapted from "Market Leader" by David Cotton, David Falvey, and Simon Kent, published in 2004 by Longman The primary goal is to equip students with fundamental grammar, vocabulary, and essential skills for effective business communication A key component of the textbook is the "Skills" section, which focuses on developing vital business communication skills and familiarizing students with common business scenarios, such as introducing, suggesting, and apologizing Each unit features "Skills" activities centered on specific themes to reinforce language knowledge and facilitate both controlled and free practice Additionally, each "Skills" section includes a "Useful language" box that offers necessary expressions and structures to enhance students' pragmalinguistic abilities, focusing on important speech acts like greeting, requesting, thanking, and responding.
This study employs a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods to achieve its research objectives The author chose this approach due to the advantages of questionnaires in gathering quantitative data efficiently, which aids in analyzing participants' pragmatic awareness While quantitative questionnaires are effective for assessing the most suitable responses, qualitative analysis provides deeper insights into students' thoughts and reasoning regarding pragmatic aspects, which may be overlooked by quantitative methods alone Therefore, the combination of both methodologies is deemed appropriate for this research.
2.3 Research design 2.3.1 Sample and sampling
The study involved 5 Americans and 50 first-year non-English major students at VUC, with the Americans aged 24 to 35 and residing in Vietnam The student participants included 35 females and 15 males, evenly distributed across five faculties, and aged between 18 and 22 Most had at least four years of English learning experience, with one student boasting 13 years All participants had not lived in an English-speaking country before the study To enhance the reliability and validity of the research, a random sampling procedure was employed.
The study utilized a descriptive research design that combined qualitative and quantitative instruments to achieve its objectives, providing a comprehensive understanding of participants' awareness (Creswell, 2008) Two similar questionnaires were employed; one was administered to five native speakers to evaluate the appropriateness of VUC students' responses, while the other was translated into Vietnamese to assess the students' pragmatic awareness The questionnaires consisted of three parts: the first gathered background information such as age, gender, nationality, and the duration of English study or experience in English-speaking countries The second part featured 16 multiple-choice questions with situational descriptions, where participants selected the most suitable expression, with native speakers also providing their own responses when necessary The final part included 11 judgment questions assessing the appropriateness of utterances in specific contexts, focusing on high-frequency activities in cross-cultural communication and addressing speech acts outlined in the textbook English 1.1, including greeting and introducing.
18, 27), requesting and responding (items 1, 3, 7, 8, 15, 16, 20, 25), inviting (items 10,
The survey included various speech acts such as parting, thanking, and conversation topics, with a focus on the speech act of requesting, which posed the greatest challenge for learners due to its reliance on politeness and cultural norms Participants were asked to explain their choices after each question to assess their pragmatic awareness To enhance the validity of the questionnaires, the researcher sought feedback from experienced colleagues and friends in EFL teaching and language assessment, leading to clarifications on politeness variables and modifications of redundant or unnatural expressions.
The English version of the questionnaire was administered to five American native speakers to establish norms for appropriate expressions Due to the absence of a concrete standard for language appropriateness, native speakers' norms serve as a valid benchmark In June 2012, 50 Vietnamese questionnaires were distributed to students at VUC after the English 1.1 course, with the purpose of assessing their pragmatic awareness clearly communicated in Vietnamese to enhance understanding Students were encouraged to use dictionaries and consult the researcher for clarification, ensuring no linguistic barriers existed, while completing the questionnaire individually To maintain focus, students were required to stay for the entire 45-minute session, resulting in a 100% response rate with all questionnaires deemed valid.
Quantitative data were presented as percentages in tables to assess student participants' awareness of various speech acts Qualitative data from participants who answered correctly were analyzed using content analysis to identify general patterns of pragmatic awareness (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Patton, 2002) These identified aspects were documented alongside the frequency of mentions by participants The researcher translated student responses from Vietnamese and grouped relevant quotations To ensure consistency and minimize bias, the data analysis and categorization were conducted solely by the researcher.
This chapter provides a detailed overview of the study's setting, research methods, instruments, and procedures utilized Key findings will be presented and analyzed in Chapter Three.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
Research conducted through a questionnaire targeting native speakers revealed unanimous responses, as all participants selected the most suitable utterance for each scenario presented Detailed correct answers can be found in Appendix 3.
This section analyzes and discusses research findings on students' pragmatic awareness, focusing on seven key speech acts: greeting, addressing, introducing, requesting and responding, inviting, parting, and thanking Additionally, it examines the pragmatic aspect of selecting conversation topics The analysis will detail the students' responses, highlighting their pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic awareness related to these speech acts, as evidenced by their correct answers to each question.
The average percentage of appropriate responses by speech acts is shown in the table below:
Speech acts Correct answer rate
Table 3.1: Average percentage of appropriate responses by speech acts
Table 3.1 reveals that the average percentage of appropriate responses to the speech acts in the questionnaire was low, at 34.5%, indicating students' below-average awareness of these acts Notably, the speech acts of requesting and responding had the highest correct answer rate at 56.5%, which is surprising given the challenges these directive speech acts pose to learners due to their potential to threaten the hearer's face, requiring significant cultural and linguistic knowledge (Brown and Levinson, 1987) Conversely, the speech act of greeting, despite its commonality, recorded the lowest correct answer rate at just 15%.
Greetings play a crucial role in fostering and sustaining interpersonal relationships during daily social interactions, with significant variations in verbal expressions across different countries Vietnamese greetings differ markedly from typical English greetings, posing challenges for Vietnamese students in adapting to these differences To assess students' understanding of the speech act of greeting, Questions 2, 5, and 6 were specifically designed.
Table 3.2: Students’ awareness of greeting
Greeting is an essential speech act that VUC students encounter during their first academic year Despite its importance, only 15.3% of students provided the correct response in a related assessment Specifically, in question 2, just 44% selected the correct answer, B When asked to explain their choices, only two students demonstrated pragmalinguistic awareness by noting it as a conventional greeting The majority of those who answered correctly reflected sociopragmatic awareness, emphasizing the context of the interaction, such as stating, “B is the most appropriate to greet our friend the first time in a day.”
However, nobody identified the difference between ―Hello, how are you?‖ and
In American culture, greetings such as "Hello, how are you?" are commonly used among colleagues, friends, or classmates when they meet for the first time each day, reflecting a brief and conventional approach The phrase "How are you getting on?" is generally deemed inappropriate unless the speaker is aware of the listener's current situation, as native speakers often prefer to avoid overly specific topics Among student respondents, 36% opted for the greeting "Hi, Michael, how are you going?" while only 16% chose the Vietlish expression "What wind brought you here?"
In response to question 5, the results indicated a low level of pragmatic awareness among the respondents, with only one student correctly identifying option C, "How are things?" This student noted that the choice reflects a pragmalinguistic aspect, specifically the convention of means, stating, "We use C because it is a general greeting." Meanwhile, a slight majority of students (54%) selected option A, "Hi, John, where are you going?" and 36% chose option B, "Hi, have you eaten?" They justified their selections by asserting that these greetings were appropriate for the context of the conversation.
In Vietnamese culture, greetings like "meet each other right after dinner" reflect a preference for discussing concrete matters, as it demonstrates care for the listener Conversely, many Americans find such direct inquiries intrusive, as they typically avoid discussing personal topics to respect privacy and avoid discomfort This cultural difference highlights the varying significance placed on the nature of greetings and conversation in different societies.
In question 6, Tom was surprised to encounter a long-lost friend, exclaiming "No!" However, none of the participants selected this response as correct Instead, half opted for "Oh," while the other half chose "Hey." This indicates a lack of awareness among the students regarding this type of greeting, as in American culture, "No" can serve as an exclamation to express surprise in addition to its negating function.
Effective communication hinges on the way individuals address one another, particularly in cross-cultural contexts Proper addressing reflects the speaker's acknowledgment of the listener's social status, which is crucial for building and maintaining strong interpersonal relationships Conversely, the misuse of addressing terms can come across as rude, potentially halting communication and damaging relationships To assess students' pragmatic awareness of speech acts, specific questions were included in the questionnaire.
―addressing‖ The average percentage of students who chose the correct answer was 42%
Table 3.3: Students’ awareness of addressing
In both Vietnam and English-speaking countries like England and America, names typically consist of a given name (first name) and a surname (last name) However, the order of these names differs significantly: in English, the given name precedes the surname, while in Vietnamese, the surname comes first, highlighting a key cultural distinction in naming conventions.
Nguyen Van Duc Elizabeth Mandel (Surname) (Given name) (Given name) (Surname)
In Vietnamese culture, individuals are addressed by their given names, such as Mr Duc, whereas in Western contexts, surnames like Ms Mandel are used instead of first names like Ms Elizabeth In the United States, addressing women can vary with terms like "Miss," "Mrs.," or "Ms.," with "Ms." being the preferred choice as it does not disclose marital status, enhancing formality and politeness In business settings, it is advisable to use formal titles unless otherwise indicated by the individuals you are meeting.
In question 4, only 24% of students selected the correct answer, C (Glad to meet you, Ms Mandel) Six students highlighted the sociopragmatic aspect of politeness, stating that option C is appropriate as it shows deference to the woman, is suitable for a formal situation, and is the most polite way to address a woman for the first time However, none of the students recognized the distinction between using first names and surnames in English.
American culture emphasizes equality in social interactions, leading individuals to address each other by first names regardless of age or social status, which signifies respect rather than disrespect For instance, children might call older individuals by their first names, reflecting this egalitarian approach In contrast, Vietnamese culture typically maintains formal address based on social hierarchy, as illustrated by 40% of surveyed participants believing it inappropriate for Pham Hung to call Mr Black by his first name American respondents noted that using surnames in informal settings could be perceived as aloofness or a lack of friendliness Some students argued that using a first name could foster closeness, while others highlighted the importance of introductions and mutual exchange in establishing rapport Overall, the responses reveal differing cultural norms regarding name usage and the significance of formality in communication.
Introduction is often used to build up a good relationship between communicators
Improperly executed interactions can lead to breakdowns in communication Questions 18 and 27 were specifically crafted to assess participants' awareness of effective introductions According to Table 3.4, only 24% of the participants successfully demonstrated the ability to perform this speech act correctly.
Table 3.4: Students’ awareness of introducing
IMPLICATIONS
Due to students' limited pragmatic awareness stemming from insufficient pragmatic knowledge and cultural insights related to the target language, this chapter offers valuable recommendations for VUC English teachers and students to enhance the teaching and learning of pragmatics and cultural understanding.
To equip language learners for success beyond the classroom, teachers should create consciousness-raising opportunities that enhance awareness of language forms, meanings, and contextual factors (McLean, 2004).
By attending to pragmatic factors in foreign language situations, students will be able to make informed choices in negotiating effective communication
Teachers should equip students with essential language structures and expressions to effectively convey speech acts By expanding their repertoire, students can better recognize various speech acts For instance, they should familiarize themselves with common structures for making suggestions, such as "Why don’t we ?", "What/How about + noun/noun phrase/V-ing?", and "I suggest/recommend + V-ing/(that) somebody (should) + V-infinitive."
In other words, teachers should integrate the teaching of grammar with that of pragmatics so that students can have thorough understanding of speech acts
Teachers should emphasize to students that speech acts can be expressed in various forms, with one form capable of conveying multiple functions For instance, when requesting to borrow a car, phrases like "Could you lend me your car?" or "I would like to borrow your car" illustrate different ways to make the same request Additionally, the same language form can serve different communicative purposes depending on the context; for example, the statement "It's raining" can simply state a fact, express a wish to stay indoors, request someone to close doors and windows, or convey a complaint about the weather.
Teachers should differentiate between direct and indirect speech acts to help students understand the illocutionary force of utterances, ensuring they grasp the speaker's intentions effectively.
Sample activities are provided in Appendix 4
4.2 Raising students’ awareness of politeness
Students need instruction on executing various speech acts in English, tailored to different social contexts, including status, distance, and the degree of imposition between speakers Educators should create diverse, contextualized activities to enhance student engagement These activities must address the essential variables of politeness, with suggested examples provided in Appendix 4.
4.3 Raising students’ awareness of cultural norms 4.3.1 Integrating culture into language teaching
Linguists emphasize the vital role of culture in language education, asserting that language and culture are intricately connected According to Stern (1992), teaching a language without incorporating its cultural context is impossible, as culture enriches and informs language use Valdes (1986) reinforces this notion, stating that teaching culture is an unavoidable aspect of language instruction To facilitate effective communication, it is essential for learners to possess a deep understanding of the target culture, which can help reduce misunderstandings and prevent conflicts Therefore, educators should implement strategies that promote cultural awareness in their teaching practices.
4.3.1.1 Enforcing the teaching of British and American cultural background
Understanding the significant differences between Eastern and Western cultures is essential for students to effectively learn and use English Teachers play a crucial role in enhancing students' cultural awareness by educating them on key aspects of both cultures, particularly in areas like greetings, introductions, expressions of gratitude, and invitations For instance, when discussing the speech act of greeting, educators should highlight cultural nuances, such as the appropriate ways to greet someone for the first time or how to greet a friend, emphasizing the distinctions between Vietnamese customs and those of the target language.
4.3.1.2 Creating culture-rich learning environment
Learners in foreign language environments often face limited opportunities for meaningful communication in the target language, resulting in scarce exposure to native speakers' interactions This lack of direct observation prevents them from accessing effective models for imitation According to Bardovi-Harlig (1998), increased interaction with native speakers enhances a learner's pragmatic awareness However, VUC students, who engage infrequently in English interactions, may struggle with communication due to insufficient pragmatic skills.
Creating a culture-rich learning environment for students is essential, even if direct communication with native English speakers is challenging Teachers should focus on integrating linguistic and cultural knowledge while facilitating practical application of what students learn One effective method is through role-play activities, such as simulating a restaurant scenario where students act as waiters and customers, allowing them to engage in conversation according to American dining customs This approach not only enhances their understanding of cultural nuances but also fosters independent communication skills To ensure success, it's crucial for teachers to provide students with adequate cultural context before the activity, preparing them for authentic interactions with native speakers.
The syllabus serves as a crucial guide for English teaching, and to effectively integrate cultural education, it must include specific requirements for cultural content and teaching methods In Vietnam's examination-focused education system, the English syllabus is primarily designed to enhance students' test-taking abilities, often neglecting cultural aspects Therefore, incorporating cultural elements into the syllabus can significantly improve the integration of culture in English education, ensuring a more comprehensive learning experience for students.
4.3.3 Providing more authentic teaching materials
To effectively teach foreign languages, particularly English in Vietnam, it is essential to expose students to authentic language used in real communicative situations Authentic materials, as opposed to artificially constructed language, provide students with genuine linguistic data that enhances their learning experience Given the limited opportunities for direct interaction with native speakers, teachers play a crucial role in supplying realistic language resources By engaging with authentic materials, students can imitate native speakers and gradually develop their sense of appropriateness and pragmatic awareness in using the language.
Textbooks play a crucial role in foreign language learning, necessitating a comprehensive approach that considers various factors influencing students' acquisition abilities Incorporating "authentic materials" that reflect the social factors, culture, and customs of the target language in the context of Vietnamese reality is essential for fostering meaningful comparisons and interactions Such materials enable students to understand native speakers' communication styles and behaviors, encouraging them to adopt native-like thinking and conduct during classes Increased exposure to native-like resources enhances learners' competence, allowing them to communicate in English more naturally and effectively in cross-cultural contexts.
In addition to textbooks, students can enhance their understanding of target language countries by utilizing various supplementary materials Literature, including novels and magazines, offers rich insights into a nation's culture, psychology, customs, and social dynamics, making it an excellent resource for extensive reading Additionally, English-language newspapers, films, and TV series can effectively broaden learners' perspectives and deepen their cultural comprehension.
To cultivate pragmatic competence, it is essential for teachers to incorporate various modern teaching aids and methods that enhance cultural immersion, allowing students to learn English naturally Utilizing original English films, engaging in language training programs, and creating multimedia courseware can significantly enrich the learning experience Additionally, inviting foreign teachers and cultural experts for lectures can broaden students' cultural perspectives and provide them with authentic English exposure, thereby deepening their understanding of the cultural differences between Vietnam and Western countries.
4.4 Improving the pragmatic teaching in the way of holding tests and exams