Student Needs and Teacher Practices in Pragmatic Speaking Instruction: A Preliminary Needs Analysis
Abstract
Despite its importance, pragmatic awareness remains underemphasised in Malaysian ESL classrooms, which limits students’ ability to speak English effectively in real-life contexts. While previous studies have reported learners’ pragmatic difficulties, fewer studies have examined secondary school students’ perceived learning needs alongside teachers’ instructional practices as an exploratory needs analysis. To address this gap, this preliminary needs analysis examined Form 4 students’ perceived pragmatic awareness needs for speaking, alongside English teachers’ related perceptions and practices, to identify targeted instructional gaps in secondary settings. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 60 Form 4 students and five English teachers in selected secondary schools through a need analysis questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that students were confident in routine speech acts (e.g. thanking, apologising) but experienced difficulties with discourse management, sociopragmatic awareness, and context-dependent functions. Teachers reported predominantly focusing on implicit instruction and exam-driven scripted speaking tasks, suggesting a gap in explicit pragmatic instruction. As an exploratory study, the findings provide preliminary insights to inform future instructional planning and large-scale research on pragmatic awareness in Malaysian ESL contexts.
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