Behravesh, Sarvar (2025) Social Media and L2 Pragmatic Awareness: Insights from Instagram. Masters thesis, Concordia University.
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Abstract
One of the challenging aspects of teaching in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context has always been second language (L2) pragmatic instruction since learners have fewer opportunities to use English in their interactions outside the classroom and textbooks do not fully address L2 pragmatics. This study focused on participants’ perception of task-based weekly lessons using Instagram aimed to raise their pragmatic awareness. Activities were designed according to Taguchi’s (2017) criteria for task design to help participants analyze pragmatic features in Instagram videos on different topics: book reviews, discussions and professional conversations. Over the course of 1 month, 4 participants with an EFL background, two of whom now reside in an English-speaking country, took these weekly lessons and wrote in reflection journals after completing the tasks. Participants noticed and analyzed a range of pragmatic features even though learning about pragmatics was new to them. They also shared which strategies helped them make these activities easier. Participants reported a more positive perspective on using Instagram for L2 pragmatics in addition to noting a few of strategies used during the study. This study highlights the value of Instagram as a learning tool, role of teachers in teaching pragmatics, and the need to reflect on strategies when using Instagram to enhance pragmatic awareness.
| Divisions: | Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Education |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
| Authors: | Behravesh, Sarvar |
| Institution: | Concordia University |
| Degree Name: | M.A. |
| Program: | Applied Linguistics |
| Date: | 1 September 2025 |
| Thesis Supervisor(s): | McDonough, Kim |
| Keywords: | L2 pragmatics, pragmatic awareness, EFL learners, task-based learning, Instagram, social media for learning |
| ID Code: | 996213 |
| Deposited By: | Sarvar Behravesh |
| Deposited On: | 04 Nov 2025 14:59 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Nov 2025 14:59 |
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