Theoretical Construction of Classroom Teaching Pragmatic Competence for Pre-service English Teachers in Ethnic Minority Universities

Abstract

As basic education English curricula in China shift from the transmission of linguistic knowledge towards the cultivation of core competencies, the appropriateness, interactivity, strategic quality and cultural sensitivity of teachers' classroom language have become key determinants of instructional quality. Drawing on research on pragmatic competence, second language (L2) pragmatics and pragmatics instruction, this paper defines the "classroom teaching pragmatic competence" of pre-service English teachers as a teacher competence with a distinct professional status: the integrated professional ability to select, organise, regulate and reflect on linguistic resources in accordance with instructional objectives and specific classroom situations, so as to realise such pedagogical functions as knowledge construction, teacher–student interaction, classroom management, learning scaffolding and affective support. Four constitutive features of this competence are identified: purposefulness, situatedness, interactivity and reflexivity. The paper then builds a theoretical framework grounded in pragmatic competence theory, communicative language ability theory, sociocultural theory, teacher knowledge theory and reflective practice theory, and discusses the dual effects of the multilingual context of ethnic minority universities on the formation of this competence. The study offers theoretical reference for the pre-service education of English teachers, for the assessment of classroom teaching pragmatic competence, and for the preparation of English teachers for basic education in ethnic minority regions.