The incorporation of languaging tasks into pragmatics training for L2 teachers: The case of a Spanish graduate teaching assistant

Abstract

To enhance the visibility of pragmatics in second language (L2) teacher education, this study observed the development of a Spanish-speaking graduate teaching assistant (GTA) regarding his pragmatic knowledge and reflections on potential application during a 12-week pragmatics seminar at a US public university. The Spanish GTA taught the language as the teacher of record while participating in the training. From a sociocultural perspective, the training provided the GTA with exposure to and explanations of academic concepts across three modules: pragmatics, cross-cultural pragmatics, and instructional pragmatics. The participant also had the opportunity to engage in two languaging tasks, either privately (via written reflection reports) or inter-psychologically (through dialogic verbalized reflections). The results suggest that the Spanish GTA developed an improved conceptual understanding of pragmatics, enhanced awareness of cross-cultural pragmatics, and increased readiness to apply these concepts in teaching over time. The participant perceived his engagement in the two languaging tasks as a rewarding experience, as indicated by his verbalized reflections. Lastly, suggestions for modifying the languaging tasks and effectively incorporating them into pragmatics training were discussed.