Measuring Interlanguage Pragmatic Knowledge of EFL Learners

Pragmatic competence is an integral and indispensable component of overall language competence. Omitting the pragmatic dimension from language assessment is, therefore, quite unfortunate. This book describes the development and validation of three test methods designed to test the interlanguage pragmatic knowledge of EFL learners. Altogether 413 subjects participated in the development of the tests. Results showed that all three methods investigated had measured learners’ interlanguage pragmatic knowledge. Quantitative analyses showed that the tests tapped the intended construct and the test methods measured a similar construct. Analyses of verbal reports yielded results which supported the quantitative analyses and revealed that the construct-relevant knowledge was involved in the test takers’ cognitive activities. This book ends with some pedagogical implications of this study and directions for further research.