Individual differences in memory predict changes in breakdown and repair fluency but not speed fluency: A short-term fluency training intervention study

Abstract

The purpose of this intervention study is to reveal the extent to which memory-related aptitudes are implicated in the second language (L2) fluency development fostered by task repetition. English L2 learners are engaged in oral narrative tasks three times per day under two different 3-day task repetition schedules: blocked (Day 1: A-A-A, Day 2: B-B-B, Day 3: C-C-C) versus interleaved (Day 1: A-B-C, Day 2: A-B-C, Day 3: A-B-C). Their phonological short-term memory (PSTM), attention control, and associative memory were used as predictors of fluency changes measured through speed, breakdown, and repair fluency behaviors. Results showed that while the articulation rate change was not explained by any of the examined predictors, breakdown and repair fluency were predicted by different memory components. Specifically, PSTM was associated with mid-clause pause decrease during the training phase, while associative memory was linked to the increase in clause-final pauses in the posttest. Attention control, as well as PSTM, was related to greater repair frequency in the posttest, indicating increased learners’ attention to speech monitoring. Furthermore, PSTM and associative memory contributed to reducing breakdown fluency in the blocked repetition condition only, suggesting that learners can capitalize on their memory for improving oral fluency by engaging in blocked practice.

The Effects of Task Repetition Schedules on L2 Fluency Enhancement

“…A recent line of task repetition inquiry focuses on task repetition schedules, among which the topic of blocked practice and interleaved practice has evoked substantial research interest (Suzuki 2021b). According to Suzuki (2021a), in a blocked condition, each of the practice tasks is repeated in order before moving on to the next task (e.g., AAABBBCCC). While in an interleaved condition, tasks of various types are interspersed (e.g., ABCAB-CABC).…”

Massed Task Repetition Is a Double-Edged Sword for Fluency Development

“…Second, because random assignment of participants to each condition was not feasible in this classroom research, individual differences such as cognitive aptitudes should have been controlled at least statistically. As accumulating evidence suggests that distributed practice effects in L2 grammar learning are moderated by individual characteristics such as working memory and language analytic ability (Kasprowicz et al, 2019;Suzuki, 2019;Suzuki & DeKeyser, 2017b), it is worth exploring possible aptitudeÀtreatment interaction between practice distribution and learners' cognitive aptitude profiles in future research (see Suzuki, 2021a, who demonstrated that some aspects of memory predict the effects of L2 fluency training).…”

How Does Having a Good Ear Promote Instructed Second Language Pronunciation Development? Roles of Domain‐General Auditory Processing in Choral Repetition Training

“…Third, learners can focus on the imitation of nativelike pronunciation forms which is considered to be an important skill for successful L2 speech learning (Flege, Munro, & MacKay, 1995). Fourth, systematic repetition activities can reduce the frequency of dysfluencies and promote the automatization of L2 speech production (Suzuki, 2021).…”

“…Studies conducted in the classroom setting have pointed to several different types of explicit instruction which can help improve L2 pronunciation proficiency (e.g., Sakai & Moorman, 2018 for high variability perception training; Derwing et al., 2014 for prosody‐based production training; Suzuki, 2021 for fluency training). Although there is a consensus that the provision of explicit instruction (including shadowing and tracking) facilitates adult L2 pronunciation learning, the effect sizes of explicit instruction are relatively small‐to‐medium (e.g., d =.078; Saito & Plonsky, 2019).…”