Sociocultural theory (SCT), with its multiple psychological constructs and its focus on social and cultural aspects, provides sound principles for creating a pedagogical program of second language (L2) pragmatics. Both L2 development and pragmatic development are viewed as conceptual processes. By developing a systematic program of this kind, van Compernolle aims to provide strategies for both materials design and the teaching practice itself, and, above all, a reconceptualization of the field of instructional pragmatics. Unlike traditional approaches that foreground form, translating the principles of SCT in instruction for L2 pragmatics entails viewing concepts as fundamental pedagogical aspects.
The introduction provides insight into the aims and scope of the book, definitions of the main concepts used, and a description of the research study. The three principles of concept-based instruction (i.e., concepts as basic units of instruction, concept materialization, and concept verbalization; Lantolf & Thorne, Reference Lantolf and Thorne2006) are intertwined throughout the book. The theoretical aspects of the SCT framework for L2 instructional pragmatics are addressed in Chapters 2 and 3, whereas Chapters 4–6 elaborate on the constituents of van Compernolle’s pedagogical framework. The final chapter concludes by providing insightful implications for research, the classroom, and teacher education.
The data reported in the book came from a study of participants in a pedagogical enrichment program tailored to utilize Vygotskian principles in L2 instructional pragmatics. The participants were eight U.S. university learners of French, and the data were collected in six sessions. The first session aimed to diagnose the learners’ developmental level at the beginning of the program. In sessions 2–5, the actual enrichment program, which consisted of introduction to the concepts, verbalized reflections, and strategic interaction scenarios, was carried out. The final session aimed to reassess learners’ metapragmatic knowledge as well as their performance abilities after the completion of the enrichment program. Galperin’s (Reference Galperin1989, Reference Galperin1992) model of systemic-theoretical instruction and Silverstein’s (Reference Silverstein2003) model of the order of indexicality were utilized to interpret the research data. Van Compernolle contributes to the field of L2 instructional pragmatics by proposing three additional subconcepts (i.e., self-presentation, social distance, and power) that add more depth to the initial models. His SCT framework for instructional pragmatics considers pragmatic development as consisting of three dialectics: conceptual knowledge, application of concepts to solve problems, and practical (material) activity. There is a bidirectional relationship between the three aspects, and they are all necessary for pragmatic development to happen. Human mediation emerged as a recurring theme in the volume and demonstrated the role the tutors and dialogic verbalized reflections as well as the appropriateness judgment tasks played in creating a zone of proximal development and conditions that are conducive to development among the learners.
The author’s framework is unique in several ways. For pragmatic development to occur, both pragmatic knowledge and awareness of that knowledge are necessary. The use of verbalized reflections and appropriateness judgment tasks are proposed as a tool for developing awareness of pragmatic knowledge and for developing pragmatic knowledge in general, respectively. Moreover, strategic interaction scenarios are seen as effective tools for developing performance abilities. By including these aspects, van Compernolle introduces novelties in relating the SCT principles to L2 instructional pragmatics.
