Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Improving Pragmatic Competence Regarding Acquiring Global and Professional Verbal Communication Speech Acts

The ability to communicate aptly in a given social situation is paramount for any global and professional interaction. For learners of English as a Foreign/Second Language (EFL/ESL), acquiring pragmatic competence is particularly difficult to master, often due to the lack of attention provided by ‘grammar-first’ approach’ to language teaching. This article synthesizes findings from a broader exploration to help understand the teaching, learning, and assessment of pragmatic competence in the context of verbal communication and speech acts. It analyzes the common challenges learners and teachers face in typical EFL/ESL contexts, examines effective, evidence-based instructional strategies aimed at raising pragmatic awareness, and discusses various assessment strategies. The findings confirm the need to shift the focus from grammar to explicit teaching of pragmatics in context, especially in the use of authentic materials. In addition, the article critiques the use of traditional assessment tools, particularly Discourse Completion Tests (DCTs), calling for the use of more valid approaches such as the analysis of naturally occurring data and multi-dimensional assessment frameworks. In conclusion, the findings collectively argue for an integrated comprehensive action-oriented approach where the teaching and assessment of pragmatics are core components of language education, preparing learners for the nuanced demands of real-world communication.