Relationship between teacher-led versus learners’ interaction and the development of pragmatics in the EFL classroom

In spite of the theoretical claims and research supporting the relationship between conversational interaction and language learning, the effect of interaction on the acquisition of pragmatic competence has received scant attention. This paper reports on the results of a study carried out to further understand the effect of teacher–students versus learners’ interaction on the development of learners’ pragmatic competence. The subjects included two groups of 12 students instructed in the use of requests. Group A was randomly assigned to learners’ collaborative language learning condition, and group B to teacher-led interaction on requests. Students in both groups were pre-tested and post-tested on their knowledge and use of requests. Results of the study examine the nature of collaborative dialogue in teacher–students and peer interaction, and support the claim that pragmatic knowledge may emerge from assisted performance.