A Cross-Cultural Exploration: Developing an MDCT for Pragmatic Competence in EFL and Native English Speakers, with Emphasis on Speech Acts of Request and Apology

Pragmatic competence, the ability to perform language functions appropriately across social and cultural contexts, is a critical component of effective intercultural communication. However, existing assessment tools often lack contextual grounding and cultural sensitivity, particularly in evaluating speech acts such as requests and apologies. This study aims to develop a culturally grounded and empirically validated Multiple-choice Discourse Completion Test (MDCT) to assess pragmatic competence among EFL learners. Drawing on data from 147 participants (21 native English speakers and 126 Iranian and Iraqi EFL learners), the research employed an eight-phase design, which included exemplar generation, likelihood investigation, metapragmatic assessment, pilot testing, expert review, item analysis, scoring rubric development, and statistical validation. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, Likert-scale evaluations, expert judgments, and learner feedback. Quantitative analyses confirmed the test’s internal consistency as well as construct validity, and criterion-related validity. Qualitative procedures ensured the cultural plausibility and contextual appropriateness of items. The final MDCT demonstrated high inter-rater reliability and effective discrimination across pragmatic proficiency levels. By embedding native speaker input from the beginning, the instrument addresses cultural bias often found in traditional pragmatic assessments. The findings contribute to ongoing efforts to design fair, reliable, and pedagogically relevant tools for assessing intercultural pragmatic competence. This work offers both theoretical insight into the multi-dimensional nature of pragmatics and practical applications for EFL instruction and curriculum development.