The ability to use language effectively in communication is regarded as important as knowledge of grammatical rules in the communicative competence models. Pragmatic competence, namely the ability to understand and use linguistic forms appropriately according to context, is thus accepted as a vital component of language ability. Recently, pragmatic competence and development have captured growing interest among L2 pragmatics research. Specifically, a series of studies have been conducted in the study abroad (SA) context, because, compared to a domestic classroom setting, the SA context is believed to provide greater opportunities to communicate with native speakers, and these opportunities are assumed to lead to pragmatic gains. Despite the greater contact with conventional pragmatic language use available in the SA context, recent longitudinal studies have shown that different aspects of pragmatic features develop at different rates. For example, Taguchi (2008b) examined Japanese ESL learners' development of pragmatic comprehension over a four-month study abroad. She found that there were significant gains in both accurate and speedy comprehension of pragmatic meaning, but the magnitude of gain in comprehension speed (measured in response time) was larger than the gain in accuracy in comprehension. This article aims to further probe this complex relationship between the SA context and pragmatic development by synthesizing existing research studies under the guidance of two questions: (1) What pragmatic features have been examined in the SA context, and how have they been measured?; and (2) Do adult L2 learners improve their pragmatic competence in the SA context over time?