Probing the Filipino College Students' Pragmatic Competence: Its Pedagogical Implications in Language Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The study identified the pragmatic competence level of the second language (L2) learners through Written Discourse Completion Test (WDCT) administered to purposively selected 40 first-year education students. A modified questionnaire based on Survey for Academic English Language Exposure (SAELE) was used to determine the effectiveness of academic English language exposure on the pragmatic competence development of the respondents. The study employed the descriptive-correlational method, while various statistical tools were utilized to analyze and interpret the data. Weighted mean was used to determine the respondents’ pragmatic competence level and the effectiveness of academic English language exposure on the pragmatic competence development of the respondents. Moreover, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was employed to determine the significant relationship between the two variables. Results in WDCT showed that the average scores in the pre-test and post-test results fall under the competent level. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of academic English language exposure on the pragmatic competence development of the respondents was 0.207, which is ineffective. Lastly, the statistical correlation of the two variables showed no significant relationship between them (r=0.046, p>0.05). Based on the study’s results, pedagogical implications for pragmatic and L2 teaching and learning were conceptualized.