Interface between L2 learners’ pragmatic performance, language proficiency, and individual/group ZPD

One of the theories accounting for pragmatic development of L2 learners is Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural  theory.  This  study  investigated  the  development  of  EFL  learners'  pragmatic competence through the lens of an important concept of Vygotsky’s theory, i.e.  the  zone  of proximal  development.  The  study  was  conducted  to  answer  two  questions.  The  first  question was whether the amount of scaffolding provided to EFL learners would have any relationship with  their  proficiency  level.  The  second  question  was  focused  on  the  investigation  of  the relationship  between  learners’  individual  ZPDs  and  the  group  ZPD.  To  this  end,  20  EFL learners  at  low  vs.  high  proficiency  levels  were  selected  and  assigned  randomly  into  two groups.  Both  groups  received  ZPD-sensitive  instruction  to  produce  the  two  speech  acts  of request and apology. The findings indicated no significant relationship between the proficiency level  of  the  participants  and  the  amount  of  scaffolding  given  for  the  production  of  the  two speech  acts.  However,  the  findings  revealed  certain  relationship  between  participants' individual ZPDs and their group ZPD. This study suggests that EFL learners' general language proficiency has little impact on the development of their pragmatic competence. Besides, based on  the  findings,  scaffolding  seems  to  have  learner-specific  effects,  meaning  that  each  learner may need a specific amount of scaffolding for his/her ZPD to grow despite being in the same group ZPD.