ERIC Number: EJ1101162
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jun
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0039-8322
EISSN: N/A
Development of Speech Fluency over a Short Period of Time: Effects of Pedagogic Intervention
Tavakoli, Parvaneh; Campbell, Colin; McCormack, Joan
TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, v50 n2 p447-471 Jun 2016
This study investigates the effects of a short-term pedagogic intervention on development of second language (L2) fluency among learners studying English for academic purposes at a UK university. It also examines the interaction between development of fluency and complexity and accuracy. Through a pretest and posttest design, data were collected over a period of 4 weeks from learners performing monologic tasks. While the control group (CG) focused on developing general speaking and listening skills, the experimental group (EG) received awareness-raising activities and fluency strategy training in addition to general speaking and listening practice. The data, coded in terms of a range of measures of fluency, accuracy, and complexity, were subjected to repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), t-tests, and correlations. The results indicate that after the intervention, although some fluency gains were achieved by the CG, the EG produced statistically more fluent language, demonstrating a faster speech and articulation rate, longer runs, and higher phonation time ratios. The significant correlations obtained between measures of accuracy and learners' pauses in the CG suggest that pausing opportunities may have been linked to accuracy. The findings have significant implications for L2 pedagogy, highlighting the effective impact of instruction on development of fluency.
Descriptors: Intervention, Language Fluency, Consciousness Raising, Multivariate Analysis, Experimental Groups, Correlation, Listening Skills, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Second Language Learning, English for Academic Purposes, Accuracy, Control Groups, Oral Language, Learning Strategies, Statistical Analysis, Articulation (Speech), Second Language Instruction, Instructional Effectiveness, Pretests Posttests, College Students
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A