An Investigation of Pragmatic Errors in EFL Students’ Writing Skills through Computer-Mediated Communication

Abstract

This research paper analyzed the pragmatic transfer errors created by Arab students while practicing EFL writing skills in a virtual classroom. This research aimed to identify practical errors related to discourse and contextual components of the target language writing skills. The study took into consideration the negative pragmatic transfer errors made during written communication of EFL students using chat (synchronous) and discussion board(asynchronous) in the computer-mediated environment (CMC) of Blackboard. This research employed a mixed-mode method comprising of observations of students’ online interaction (pragmatic transfer error analysis and categorizing them and a questionnaire for students to determine their pragmatic competence. The population of this research was the EFL students of the preparatory year, at Jazan University KSA. A random sample was collected with 381 respondents. The Data was collected and then analyzed with the help of the statistical package SPSS. The results were displayed in tables, charts, and percentages. This research will be beneficial for EFL teachers to improve pedagogy and Arab EFL students alike. This paper also made recommendations for future research.