Developing an Interlanguage Pragmatic Competence Test on Routines in a Chinese EFL Context

Abstract

Performing routines in interlanguage is vitally important for EFL learners since it can cause embarrassment between speakers from different cultures. The present study aims to 1) investigate the reliability and validity of an interlanguge pragmatic competence test on routines in a Chinese EFL context with multiple choice discourse completion task (MDCT), 2) examine the statistical characteristics of the test, and 3) explore the test takers’ strategies used in the process of taking the test. Altogether 390 students from China took part in the study. The data were collected with the interlanguage pragmatic competence test on routines and think aloud protocol. Data analyses methods included the split-half method, item analysis theory, descriptive statistics, an independent T-test and content analysis. The results indicate that 1) the interlanguage pragmatic competence test on routines showed strong reliability and validity in the Chinese EFL context, 2) interlanguage pragmatic routines were not easy for the Chinese EFL learners, and situational routines were easier than functional routines, and 3) three strategies: repeated reading, interpreting or translating, and weighing options or justifying responses, were used in the process of taking the test by the Chinese EFL learners.