Assisting the development of sociopragmatic skills: Negotiating refusals at work

Sociopragmatic skills are crucial to communicative effectiveness at work, yet relatively few studies have evaluated the effects of classroom-based support in developing both cognitive control and social competence in these areas of language proficiency. Learners often have difficulty negotiating culturally appropriate content in particular speech acts, such as refusals in specific contexts, even when they are able to identify the semantic features and formula required. This article describes a collaborative study between a group of researchers and second language teachers. Using authentic workplace discourse as the basis for teaching materials, the research tracks the development of skilled migrants' sociopragmatic performance over a period of 12 weeks, from their entry into the classroom, through six weeks of instruction, and into the workplace context. In this article, using a detailed case study for illustration, we examine the benefits of conscious learning combined with opportunities for social interaction, in assisting migrants acquire appropriate ways of negotiating workplace refusals.