Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
General Department of Education, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Ministry of Education, Zahedan, Iran
2
Department of,English Language, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman,Iran
3
Department of English Language, Kerman Branch, Farhangian University, Kerman, Iran
10.22034/jespp.2026.578927.1047
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the concept of pragmatic competence as an important feature of communicative ability and its relative neglect in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses. Moreover, it aims to explore the efficacy of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) for developing the pragmatic competence of Iranian ESP learners. Sixty Iranian learners of ESP, consisting of 30 males and 30 females at intermediate and upper-intermediate levels, were selected from two language institutes in Zahedan, Iran, using the Oxford Quick Placement Test. They were randomly assigned into an experimental group and a control group, each consisting of 30 learners. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. The experimental group was subjected to task-based teaching, which was based on the three stages of task-based methodology, namely, pre-task, during-task, and post-task stages, whereas the control group was subjected to traditional teaching. A pragmatic competence test was used as both pre-test and post-test. Results showed that the experimental group showed significant improvement in pragmatic competence, whereas the control group showed little improvement, using paired-samples t-tests. In addition, no statistically significant gender differences were observed in pragmatic competence development, t(28) = -.315, p = .755. The findings revealed that task-based teaching is an effective approach for developing learners’ pragmatic competence. Implications and recommendations are presented.
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