Metapragmatic Awareness in L2 Learning and Teaching

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores the role of metapragmatic awareness in second language (L2) learning, instruction, and teacher education, bringing together research that examines how reflective awareness of language use can support the development and teaching of pragmatic competence.

Metapragmatic awareness, understood as the ability to consciously attend to and reason about the pragmatic aspects of communication (Ifantidou, 2014), should be regarded as a key objective of L2 pragmatics instruction. Because pragmatic choices are inherently context-sensitive and often resist clear-cut distinctions between "correct" and "incorrect" language use, awareness-raising should be regarded as a key objective of L2 pragmatics instruction (Timpe-Laughlin et al., 2015). Rather than focusing exclusively on the acquisition of situation-specific pragmatic routines, instruction can support learners in developing the analytical and reflective capacities needed to interpret pragmatic phenomena across a wide range of communicative contexts. Such capacities allow learners to attend to patterns of language use, evaluate contextual influences on meaning, and generate pragmatic insights that can be transferred to novel situations.

Recent research has highlighted the growing importance of pragmatics within language education, drawing attention to the ways in which instructional practices can support learners’ understanding of contextually appropriate language use. Studies have examined a range of pedagogical approaches aimed at fostering pragmatic competence and reflective awareness, including explicit instruction, classroom interaction, technology-enhanced learning, and intercultural communication activities. At the same time, increasing attention has been devoted to the role of teachers in facilitating pragmatic learning. The integration of pragmatics into language curricula requires educators to not only possess knowledge of pragmatic phenomena but also to be able to guide learners in noticing, interpreting, and evaluating pragmatic variation across contexts (Glaser & Martínez-Flor, 2025; González-Lloret, 2023; Nuzzo & Brocca, 2025).

Despite these developments, important gaps remain in our understanding of metapragmatic awareness across both learning and teaching contexts. While much of the literature has focused on learners’ pragmatic development, comparatively less attention has been paid to the processes through which metapragmatic awareness is fostered, enacted, and assessed in instructional settings. Similarly, research on teachers’ perspectives, beliefs, pedagogical decision-making, and professional learning remains relatively limited (Pojprasat & Watcharapunyawong, 2022). In particular, teachers’ metapragmatic awareness has only recently begun to emerge as a distinct object of inquiry, despite its potential influence on classroom interaction, instructional choices, materials development, and assessment practices (Glaser, 20218; Myrset & McConachy, 2022; Yalew et al., 2025).

This Special Issue seeks to advance the current understanding of metapragmatic awareness by bringing together theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical contributions that explore its nature, development, manifestations, and instructional implications in diverse educational settings. The Issue welcomes studies that investigate metapragmatic awareness as a dimension of language learning, language teaching, teacher cognition, and professional development. Particular attention will be given to research that connects insights from pragmatics with classroom practice and that examines how reflective awareness can support the development of pragmatic competence across different linguistic, cultural, and educational contexts.

The Special Issue aims to contribute to the existing literature in several ways. First, it foregrounds metapragmatic awareness as a central construct in L2 pragmatics research, encompassing both learner- and teacher-related perspectives. Second, it promotes dialogue between research on pragmatics, language pedagogy, and teacher cognition, encouraging studies that bridge theoretical and applied concerns. Third, it welcomes contributions from a wide range of linguistic, cultural, and educational contexts, thereby expanding current knowledge of how metapragmatic awareness develops and operates across different learning environments. Finally, it aims to strengthen connections between research and practice by highlighting instructional approaches, pedagogical interventions, and educational initiatives that support the development of pragmatic competence through reflective awareness.

Contributions may address the nature, development, assessment, and pedagogical implications of metapragmatic awareness in a variety of linguistic and educational settings, including, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Metapragmatic awareness in L2, foreign language, and multilingual education;
• Theoretical perspectives on metapragmatic awareness and pragmatic competence;
• Development of metapragmatic awareness among language learners;
• Teacher metapragmatic awareness and teacher cognition;
• Classroom interaction and pedagogical practices that foster metapragmatic awareness;
• Explicit and awareness-raising approaches to pragmatics instruction;
• Instructional materials and resources for developing metapragmatic awareness;
• Assessment of metapragmatic awareness and pragmatic competence;
• Intercultural and cross-cultural dimensions of metapragmatic awareness;
• Metapragmatic awareness across different target languages and educational settings.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400-600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editors (elena.nuzzo@uniroma3.it) or to Languages editorial office (languages@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer-review.

References

Glaser, K. (2018). Enhancing the role of pragmatics in primary English language teacher training. Glottodidactica, 45(2), 119-131.

Glaser, K., & Martínez-Flor, A. (2025). Guest editorial: L2 pragmatics in language teacher education. System, 131, Article 103581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103581

González-Lloret, M. (2023). Foreword. In: A. Martínez-Flor, A. Sánchez-Hernández, J. Barón (Eds.), L2 pragmatics in action. Teachers, learners and the teaching-learning interaction process (pp. xvii-xxii). John Benjamins.

Ifantidou (2014). Pragmatic competence revisited. In: E. Ifantidou (Ed.), Pragmatic competence and relevance, vol. 245 (pp. 125-150). John Benjamins.

Myrset, A., McConachy, T. (2022). Incorporating pragmatics into primary English language teacher education. In: Valente, D., Xerri, D. (eds) Innovative practices in early English language education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12922-3_15

Nuzzo, E., & Brocca, N. (2024). Raising the (meta)pragmatic awareness of non-native pre-service teachers of L2 Italian with a telecollaborative data-driven learning project on formal email writing. System, 127, Article 103518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103518

Pojprasat, S. Watcharapunyawong, S. (2022). Factors affecting teachers’ pragmatic knowledge incorporation into Thai EFL classrooms. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 21(9), 197-216. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.9.11

Timpe Laughlin, V. T., Wain, J., & Schmidgall, J. (2015). Defining and operationalizing the construct of pragmatic competence: Review and recommendations. ETS Research Report Series, 2015(1), 1-43.

Yalew, M. Y., Amogne, D., & Chanie, B. S. (2025). Effects of pragmatics awareness instruction (PAI) in enhancing EFL learners’ communicative competence. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2528305

Prof. Dr. Elena Nuzzo
Dr. Nicola Brocca
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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