English Preparatory School Learners’ Pragmatic Motivation in a StudyAbroad Setting

Abstract

Numerous language-learning variables play a crucial role in students’ pragmatic competence development. However, amongst many of these variables, factors like age, gender, and proficiency level have not been extensively researched. Specifically, domains like Motivation and its role in pragmatic development are understudied. This study aims to explore EFL learners’ pragmatic Motivation in a study abroad context. A quantitative research design was adopted for this study. Data were collected from 160 university students through a general pragmatic motivation questionnaire and a speech acts-specific motivation questionnaire focusing on request, refusal, and apology speech acts. After collecting and analyzing the data, this study revealed interesting findings on students’ pragmatic motivation, which was used to make pedagogical conclusions.