tesol-pedagogy
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- PaperRELC Journal29 Jun 2026
Emerging pragmatic awareness through engagement with Asian Englishes: A global Englishes-informed classroom study
Claudia Andreani, Mai Oyama, Jim McKinley
A GE-informed classroom module in an Italian secondary school fostered early pragmatic awareness by engaging learners with Asian Englishes through presentations and reflective journals. Using the ACT-R model, the study found that learners developed declarative knowledge of context-dependent meanings, sociocultural norms, and discourse practices. The findings suggest that GE pedagogy can support foundational pragmatic development even without explicit instruction.
Original abstract
Responding to current interest in how pragmatic competence can be taught and assessed in Global English contexts, this study examines whether Global Englishes (GE)-informed classroom pedagogy can support the development of early pragmatic awareness in the absence of explicit pragmatics instruction. The study reports a re-analysis of classroom data from a GE-oriented module implemented in an Italian secondary school, in which learners engaged with Asian Englishes and other English varieties through presentations and reflective journals. Although the original module was designed to raise awareness of linguistic diversity rather than to teach pragmatics, the dataset provides insight into how learners attend to meaning, interaction and sociocultural norms across English-using contexts. The analysis is framed through the Adaptive Control of Thought–Rational (ACT-R) model, focusing on the emergence of declarative pragmatic knowledge as a precursor to later procedural development. Findings indicate that learners developed conceptual awareness of context-dependent lexical meanings, sociocultural expectations shaping interpersonal communication and discourse practices associated with different Englishes. These reflections were particularly pronounced when learners engaged with Asian Englishes, which appeared to prompt noticing of pragmatic variability and reasoning about communicative appropriateness across contexts. While no evidence of procedural pragmatic competence was observed, learners’ reflections align with ACT-R's account of early pragmatic development as the accumulation of declarative knowledge through exposure, noticing and reflection. The study contributes empirical evidence to the underexplored relationship between GE pedagogy and pragmatics by showing how GE-informed classroom activities can foster foundational pragmatic awareness in school contexts where explicit pragmatics instruction is constrained.
- PaperDOAJ — Language assessment1 May 2026
“I Can Do It” or “It’s Hard”: a comparative qualitative study of Thai EFL students’ mindsets and speaking engagement
Jeffrey Wilang
This study examined how growth versus fixed mindsets affect Thai EFL students' engagement and re-engagement strategies during English-speaking tasks. Students with growth mindsets used active strategies like self-talk and peer modeling, while fixed-mindset students tended to withdraw or hesitate. The findings offer pedagogical implications for supporting fixed-mindset learners in speaking contexts.
Original abstract
Abstract This study investigates how language learners’ mindsets—growth or fixed—influence their engagement and re-engagement strategies during English-speaking tasks. Grounded in mindset theory, the study examines the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral mechanisms that students employ when disengaging from oral performance tasks in the classroom. Data were collected from 70 university students enrolled in a speaking-focused English course. Students first completed the Language Mindset Inventory to determine their mindset orientation, then participated in a mock job interview. Afterward, individual interviews were conducted in the students’ native language to gain deeper insights into their experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed that, although both students endorsing growth and fixed mindsets faced similar situational challenges, such as anxiety, cognitive overload, limited vocabulary, and environmental distractions, their responses diverged significantly. Students with a growth mindset employed active strategies, such as self-talk, reframing, peer modeling, and digital tools, to regain focus and continue participating. In contrast, fixed mindset students were more likely to experience cognitive shutdown, hesitate, or withdraw from tasks, and rarely described internal coping mechanisms or structured plans for improvement. The study offers targeted pedagogical implications to support fixed mindset learners, including normalizing mistakes, teaching self-regulation, scaffolding speaking practice, and promoting motivational language use. Findings suggest that cultivating growth-oriented habits can enhance resilience and engagement in language learners, particularly in high-pressure speaking contexts. This research contributes to the growing field of language mindset studies by highlighting the role of mindset in both long-term achievement and moment-to-moment classroom engagement. Future research is encouraged to examine interventions that help students with fixed mindset orientations develop more adaptive strategies for speaking and communication in second language acquisition.