Analysis of the Pragmatic Content in EFL Textbooks Used in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Pragmatic competence is an essential component of communicative competence (Bachman & Palmer, 2010) and plays a significant role in language teaching, especially in the EFL context. However, studies on interlanguage pragmatics have revealed differences between learners’ pragmatic knowledge and that of native speakers (Al-Kahtani, 2005; Alshammari, 2015). One contributing factor to this discrepancy is insufficient classroom instruction, attributed to inadequate teaching materials (see Dendenne, 2018; Murray & Ton-Nu, 2020; Vellena, 2004). With this in mind, the present study investigates the pragmatic content in six EFL textbooks used in Saudi secondary schools. It examines the type, frequency, and distribution of explicitly presented speech acts, alongside metapragmatic information covering politeness, appropriacy, usage, illocutionary force, register, and culture. Both quantitative and qualitative content analyses were conducted using two checklists: one based on Searle's taxonomy of speech acts (1977-1999) and another focusing on metapragmatic information, incorporating data categorization frameworks discussed by Vellenga (2004). Initial findings indicate a lack of a discernible pattern in the distribution of speech acts across textbooks and limited metapragmatic discussions in the textbooks. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications are proposed to enhance learners’ communicative competence through the development of EFL materials and classroom instruction.