The impact of explicit and implicit instruction on EFL learners’ oral performance

This quasi-experimental study investigated the impacts of two instructional conditions on the fluency of learners’ performance. In the first condition (strategy training), learners were provided with explicit fluency strategy training for a portion of each lesson before rehearsing versions of the speaking task for the remainder of the lesson. In the second condition (massed practice), learners rehearsed the versions of the target speaking task for the entire lesson. Both instructional conditions allowed learners to benefit from language input and task repetition to help conceptualize and encode the content of their speech. Two intact classes of university EFL learners participated in this study. The data were audio recordings of participants’ oral performance of news report presentations in pre-test and post-test conditions. This data was transcribed and coded for speech rate, articulation rate, phonation/time ratio, number of filled and unfilled pauses, mean duration of pauses, mean length of run, verbatim repetition, and repairs. Although the overall effect of the training was found to be insignificant, the estimation analysis revealed that both instructional conditions improve participants’ speech fluency, with the effect sizes ranging from small to medium. These effect sizes are considered meaningful for the speech fluency development of EFL learners in the study context. Hence, both instructional conditions could be applied as a potentially complementary pedagogical strategy in EFL classrooms at the university level, particularly with regard to increasing the accuracy of teachers’ perceptions of learners’ oral proficiency

Linguistics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Philosophy · Psychology · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Second Language Learning and Teaching

• A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning (Oxford Applied Linguistics)

  Peter Skehan•A Cognitive Approach to Language…•1998

  Incluir item

• Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences

  Jacob Cohen•Statistical Power Analysis for…•2013

  Incluir item

• Cognitive Bases of Second Language Fluency

  Norman Segalowitz•The cognitive bases of second…•2010

  Incluir item

• Strategic planning, task structure and performance testing

  Parvaneh Tavakoli, Peter Skehan•Planning and Task Performance in…•2005

  Incluir item

• Task Repetition and Second Language Speech Processing

  Open Access•Craig Lambert, Judit Kormos et al.•Studies in Second Language…•2017

  Incluir item

• The New Statistics

  Open Access•Geoff Cummings, GEOFF CUMMING•Psychological Science•2014

  Incluir item

• Principles of language learning and teaching

  H Douglas Brown•Principles of language learning…•2000

  Incluir item

• Contrasting Effects of Starting Age and Input on the Oral Performance of Foreign Language Learners

  Carmen Muñoz•Applied Linguistics•2014

  Incluir item

• The Development of Fluency in Advanced Learners of French

  Richard Towell, Roger Hawkins et al.•Applied Linguistics•1996

  Incluir item

• Enhancing Automaticity Through Task-based Language Learning

  Isabelle de Ridder, Lieve Vangehuchten et al.•Applied Linguistics•2007

  Incluir item

• The impact of fluency strategy training on Iranian EFL learners’ speech under online planning conditions

  Zohreh Seifoori, Zahra Vahidi•Language Awareness•2012

  Incluir item

• What makes speech sound fluent? The contributions of pauses, speed and repairs

  Open Access•Hans Rutger Bosker, Anne-France Pinget et al.•Language Testing•2013

  Incluir item

• Spacing effects on repeated L2 task performance

  Open Access•Gavin Bui, Mohammad Javad Ahmadian et al.•System•2018

  Incluir item

• Exploring measures and perceptions of fluency in the speech of second language learners

  Open Access•Judit Kormos, Mariann Dénes et al.•System•2004

  Incluir item

• Task-based instruction

  Open Access•Peter Skehan•Language Teaching•2003

  Incluir item

• Task Preparation and Second Language Speech Production

  Open Access•Craig Lambert, Scott Aubrey et al.•TESOL Quarterly•2021

  Incluir item

• Development of Speech Fluency Over a Short Period of Time

  Open Access•Parvaneh Tavakoli, Colin Campbell et al.•TESOL Quarterly•2016

  Incluir item

• Investigating Fluency in EFL

  Open Access•Paul Lennon•Language Learning•1990

  Incluir item

• Processing Instruction

  Open Access•Bill Vanpatten•Language Learning•2002

  Incluir item

• Fluency Training in the ESL Classroom

  Open Access•Nel De Jong, Charles A Perfetti et al.•Language Learning•2011

  Incluir item

• The Effects of Task Repetition on Linguistic Output

  Open Access•Susan Ga, Susan M Ga et al.•Language Learning•1999

  Incluir item