Thesis (PhD) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research English Language Teaching Department

Includes bibliography (sheets 131-151)

ABSTRACT
A review of literature on pragmatic competence reveals that less attention is given to the
enrichment of cross-cultural pragmatic awareness in the classroom. The study focuses on
the need to survey and discuss communicative dynamics in classroom situations and the
importance of enhancing cross-cultural pragmatic competence in the English as a foreign
language (EFL) context. We believe that enhancing students’ cross-cultural pragmatic
competence will provide students with a sustainable learning environment, which is
crucial for the quality of education. The investigation involves a mixed approach of
quantitative and qualitative methods by using a questionnaire for EFL students and
interview guide questions for both EFL students and teachers. For quantitative analysis,
the participants involved in this research include 200 EFL students of different
nationalities, and for the qualitative analysis, the participants include 10 teachers and 20
EFL students in a university in North Cyprus. The study’s findings indicate that students
lack cross-cultural pragmatic knowledge and must be provided with classroom activities
for social interaction and to develop explicit and implicit communicative competencies in
EFL as a target language. Findings further reveal that EFL students are not endowed with
cross-cultural pragmatic competence by the EFL teachers who provide little attention to
pragmatic knowledge and classroom activities in the EFL context.