ELF Communication Strategies: A Pedagogical Intervention Pilot Study

This study investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of ELF communication strategy instruction for university students’ communicative competence. Conceptual studies on ELF-informed pedagogy stress the importance of teaching strategies, which promote mutual understanding and positive relationships, but few empirical pedagogical studies exist. This gap seriously hinders efforts to develop more inclusive English language and intercultural communication teaching practices that meet real-world communication needs. In response, this pilot study developed and tested the effectiveness of instructional materials and assessment instruments for teaching ELF communication strategies. These materials were pilot tested with 26 L1 and LX English speaking participants. The two assessments resulted in statistically significant improvements from pre- to posttest with small effect sizes. Participant opinion survey responses were overwhelmingly positive. Based on these encouraging preliminary results, follow-up pedagogical studies should expand on this pilot study to yield a more comprehensive understanding of ELF communication strategy instruction.