An Intercultural Framework for Assessing Sociopragmatic Competence in English Language Education: Evidence From the Chinese EFL Context

ABSTRACT As intercultural communication becomes central to globalization, sociopragmatic competence is increasingly vital for Chinese EFL learners. However, existing Western‐centric models often overlook EFL learners' sociocultural positioning, artificially separate linguistic and intercultural dimensions, and lack methodological triangulation. This study addresses these gaps by developing and validating an assessment framework integrating Communicative Language Competence and Intercultural Communicative Competence theories in the Chinese EFL context. Guided by three research questions on indicators, structure, and weightings, a three‐phase sequential mixed‐methods design was employed: expert interviews and thematic analysis to construct a preliminary framework, a two‐round Delphi study for refinement, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process to determine empirical weightings. The final framework includes 5 primary, 11 secondary, and 21 tertiary indicators across cognitive , applicative , and regulatory dimensions. Notably, Applicative (0.408) and Regulatory (0.394) dimensions were weighted higher than Cognitive (0.197), empirically supporting a performance‐oriented assessment approach. This study contributes threefold: theoretically, by localizing sociopragmatic competence within Chinese EFL contexts through a Confucian‐informed hierarchical model that integrates linguistic and intercultural dimensions and empirically validates its performance‐based orientation; practically, by offering culturally calibrated indicators for instructional practice, curriculum design, and adaptable assessment; and internationally, by demonstrating cross‐cultural adaptability with evidence supporting global transferability.