This article examines new empirical studies on the development of pragmatic competence in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. It focuses on the effectiveness of various teaching methods and how technology can be utilised to enhance learning environments. The sociopragmatic awareness of EFL learners is a crucial component of successful communication across different social and cultural contexts and effective teaching techniques are essential for its development. Learners should be afforded numerous opportunities to practise the language in a manner that is contextually appropriate in pragmatics instruction, notably through tasks that involve real-world speech acts such as requests, refusals, and compliments. The review examines the primary pedagogical trends and their impact on students' ability to perform speech acts, such as requesting items, making suggestions, and responding to compliments. It achieves this by combining studies that employed explicit, inductive, input-based, and flipped instruction, as well as those that utilised Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). The results show that explicit and inductive instruction significantly improves students' pragmatic awareness and memory. On the other hand, CALL-supported instruction and familiarity with the context help students feel more confident and involved. The review emphasizes that MMORPGs should incorporate scaffolded speech-act tasks, as demonstrated in Zhang, particularly for learners who lack easy access to immersive second language environments.
Vakhobova et al. (Wed,) studied this question.