Exploring EFL Learners’ Pragmatic Competence in Asking for and Giving Permission
Keywords:
Pragmatic Competence, Speaking Ability, Asking and Giving Permission, EFL LearnersAbstract
This study aims to examine EFL learners’ pragmatic competence in using expressions of asking and giving permission. The research was carried out at MTs Muhammadiyah Sukarame, Bandar Lampung, involving 32 eighth-grade students. A descriptive qualitative approach was applied to describe students’ speaking performance during classroom activities. The data were obtained through classroom observation, particularly during speaking practices. The findings indicate that students still encounter several difficulties in using appropriate expressions. Most of them have limited vocabulary, low confidence, and difficulties in applying correct grammatical structures. Consequently, their utterances are often incomplete and poorly organized. Furthermore, many students feel hesitant and afraid of making mistakes when expressing their ideas. These results show that students’ pragmatic competence in asking and giving permission remains relatively low. It also highlights the importance of providing more interactive and communicative learning activities to support the development of students’ speaking skills.
References
Afna, M. (2018). Mauloeddin Afna. IV(1), 43–71.
Afrouz, M., Alkawaz, A., Nejad Ansari, D., & Dabaghi, A. (2023). The Effect of Explicit Pragmatic Instruction on Iraqi EFL Students’ Production of Speech Acts: Pragmalinguistic vs. Sociopragmatic Errors in. Focus Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 15(31), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.22034/elt.2023.54597.2521
Ahmad, M., & Wilkins, S. (2025). Purposive sampling in qualitative research: a framework for the entire journey. Quality and Quantity, 59(2), 1461–1479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-024-02022-5
Alghamdi, S. S., Alzahrani, D., Khan, M. A., & Ali, A. (2026). Speech Acts of Suggestion in Social Media Communication: A Pragmatic Analysis of Instagram Comments. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 26(2), 96–106. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v26i2.1451
Berezenko, V., Cherkhava, O., & Musiienko, Y. (2022). Communicative Language Teaching Approach in Promoting the Linguistic Competence of Efl Learners. Advanced Education, 2022(20), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.224016
Chand, G. B. (2021). Challenges Faced by Bachelor Level Students While Speaking English. IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics), 6(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v6i1.853
Chand, S. P. (2025). Methods of Data Collection in Qualitative Research: Interviews, Focus Groups, Observations, and Document Analysis. Advances in Educational Research and Evaluation, 6(1), 303–317. https://doi.org/10.25082/aere.2025.01.001
Fernández-García, A., & Fonseca-Mora, M. C. (2022). EFL learners’ speaking proficiency and its connection to emotional understanding, willingness to communicate and musical experience. Language Teaching Research, 26(1), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168819891868
Furidha, B. W. (2024). Comprehension of the Descriptive Qualitative Research Method: a Critical Assessment of the Literature. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.56943/jmr.v2i4.443
Katiandagho, I. G., Klabat, U., Sengkey, V. G., & Klabat, U. (2022). Students ’ Self-Confidence And Their. 6(2012), 153–161.
Krisnawati, E. (2011). Pragmatic competence in the spoken english classroom. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 105–115. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v1i1.102
Lofland, J. (2022). ANALYZING SOCIAL SETTINGS A Guide to Qualitative Observation and Analysis Third Edition. Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Luijkx, A., Gerritsen, M., & Mulken, M. van. (2022). The importance of raising teachers’ and students’ awareness of pragmatics in German second language writing: a study of the effect of grammatical and lexical errors compared to pragma-linguistic infelicities. Language Awareness, 31(1), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2021.2012479
Monaro, S., Gullick, J., & West, S. (2022). Qualitative Data Analysis for Health Research: A Step-by-Step Example of Phenomenological Interpretation. Qualitative Report, 27(4), 1040–1057. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5249
Nath, P. R., Mohamad, M., & Yamat, H. (2017). The Effects of Movies on the Affective Filter and English Acquisition of Low-Achieving English Learners. Creative Education, 08(08), 1357–1378. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2017.88096
Prasatyo, B. A., Ali, H. V., & Hidayati, D. (2023). Current Studies on Pragmatics Competence in EFL Learning Context: A Review. Jurnal Sinestesia, 13(2), 985–994. https://sinestesia.pustaka.my.id/journal/article/view/429
Sabilla, A. N., & Kaniadewi, N. (2025). Investigating English-Speaking Problems of Senior High School Students in Indonesia. SALEE: Study of Applied Linguistics and English Education, 6(1), 88–107. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v6i1.1617
Takkaç Tulgar, A. (2016). The Role of Pragmatic Competence in Foreign Language Education. Turkish Online Journal of English Language Teaching, 1(1), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.32959/tojelt.229304
Wang, M., Wang, H., & Shi, Y. (2022). The role of English as a foreign language learners’ grit and foreign language anxiety in their willingness to communicate: Theoretical perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(September), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1002562
Yousefabadi, M. M., Akbarie, Y., & Motahar, K. (2022). The Effect of Anxiety, Motivation and Self-Confidence in Language Learners’ Reading Proficiency. NeuroQuantology |December 2022 |, 20(16), 16–4966. https://doi.org/10.48047/NQ.2022.20.16.NQ880504
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Shella Aulia Putri, Musiman Musiman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Policy Statement
Authors who publish their manuscripts through English Journal Antartika agree on the following:
1. The copyright holder of the article is the author(s).
2. The author gives the right to publish the scientific articles to English Journal Antartika as the first publisher. The author gives permission/license regarding the Creative Commons Attribution License to other parties to distribute the articles.
3. Non-exclusivity stuff in Journal distribution publishes the author's scientific articles can be agreed upon separately (e.g., a request to insert in the institution library or publish as a book) then adjust the author as one of the parties and English Journal Antartika as the first publisher.
4. Authors can publish the article online before and during the manuscript submission process (e.g., in the Repository or on the organization's/institution's website), as this can promote the earlier exchange of citations.
5. Manuscripts and related materials published through this Journal are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA)
