The Development of L2 Fluency During Study Abroad: A Cross‐Language Study

Abstract

Examining speech samples from 75 American university students learning 1 of 3 languages (Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish), this article reports on a study of second language (L2) learners’ oral fluency development and its relationship with their gains in holistic proficiency ratings during a semester abroad. In study abroad research, there is a need for large‐scale studies that systematically investigate learners’ L2 development (Kinginger, ; Rees & Klapper, ). To address this need, the project used a quantitative design involving learners of 3 languages from multiple cohorts and diverse sending and destination institutions. Results from an analysis of 600 speech samples from 150 pretest and posttest Simulated Oral Proficiency Interviews (SOPIs) showed significant increases in speech rate as well as differences between the 3 language groups. The study also investigated the relationship between holistic oral proficiency ratings and fine‐tuned fluency measures and found some limited relationships between them. These findings can provide methodological suggestions for researchers interested in L2 fluency development among study abroad students and implications for foreign language educators and policy makers to promote study abroad and language learning.

L2 Utterance Fluency Development Before, During, and After Residence Abroad: A Multidimensional Investigation

“…Results focusing on repair fluency demonstrated no change over time for either measure (number of repetitions and corrections per second) a finding similar to Di Silvio et al. () for their L2 Spanish group. A possible explanation for this finding is that increases in learners’ proficiencies (see Huensch & Tracy–Ventura, ; Mitchell et al., ) allowed for an increased ability to monitor and/or repair their speech.…”

“…It is a rather robust finding now that participation in study abroad leads to significant gains in oral fluency, particularly for measures such as speech rate, when measured at the end of a stay abroad (Di Silvio et al, 2016;Du, 2013;Mora & Valls-Ferrer, 2012;Towell et al, 1996). However, less is known about the development of oral fluency for stays longer than the typical academic semester or after participants return to their home universities.…”

Engineering engagement: Perceived L2 development and short‐term service learning abroad

“…With a larger percentage of students going abroad for shorter periods of time, language educators must carefully consider programmatic designs, set reasonable outcomes for brief sojourns, evaluate the potential for language development, and foster the skills that are described in the World‐Readiness Standards for Language Learners (WRS) (National Standards Collaborative Board, ). It has generally been accepted that immersive experiences abroad provide a valuable learning context for acquiring L2 communication skills (Di Silvio, Diao, & Donovan, ; Kennedy Terry, ; Lafford & Collentine, ; Shiri, ). However, research has shown that language development abroad depends greatly on a range of program and learner factors.…”

“…While it is widely accepted that frequent and sustained interaction with native speakers facilitates language gain (Allen & Herron, ; Cadd, ; Di Silvio et al, , Pinar, ; Wang, ), proficiency gains have not always been linked to the amount of time students spend with native speakers. For example, Martinsen () investigated a 6‐week program in Argentina and reported no direct correlation between the amount of time participants spent with native speakers and improved oral skills, attributing the results to the repetitive nature of the interactions in which many L2 learners engaged.…”

“…described in the World-Readiness Standards for Language Learners (WRS) (National Standards Collaborative Board, 2015). It has generally been accepted that immersive experiences abroad provide a valuable learning context for acquiring L2 communication skills (Di Silvio, Diao, & Donovan, 2016;Kennedy Terry, 2017;Lafford & Collentine, 2006;Shiri, 2015). However, research has shown that language development abroad depends greatly on a range of program and learner factors.…”