BUSINESS ENGLISH STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TO PRAGMATICS
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Abstract
Having in mind that the awareness of the importance of pragmatic competence can be a significant motivational factor, as well as that self-assessment plays a major role in directing effort to master a certain area, the primary aim of this research is to examine students’ attitudes to the importance of pragmatics as well as to establish how students assessed their knowledge in this field. In that respect the paper also analyzes how students perceive the teaching of pragmatics in previous education. The research was based on a quantitative (75 participants) and qualitative approach (four participants). The analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data has shown that the majority of participants realize the importance of pragmatic knowledge for successful communication and their self-assessment of pragmatic competence is relatively accurate, at least as regards telephoning and small talk in business situations. Qualitative analysis reveal that most of the students are not motivated enough to invest great effort after they have achieved a certain, yet insufficient level of pragmatic competence. This attitude seems to be the consequence of infrequent and unsystematic teaching of pragmatics and, it seems, lack of opportunity for face-to-face communication with foreigners.
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