EFFECTS OF PLANNING ON SECOND LANGUAGE (L2) LEARNERS’ NARRATIVE ORAL PRODUCTION

Abstract

This research investigated task planning and its effects on second language (L2) learners’ speaking performance. Although previous studies have demonstrated that planning could positively affect L2 learners’ speaking performance, there are no conclusive or systematic findings. This between-subject experimental design study attempted to fill in that gap by including another planning category: pre-task planning plus within task planning as suggested bu Yuan and Ellis (2003, p. 24). The participants were randomly assigned to four groups, including three experimental groups and one control group in which they were required to perform a narrative task under four conditions: pre-task planning, within task planning, pre-task planning plus within task planning, and no planning. To explore the planning effects, the participants’ speech was analyzed in terms of accuracy, complexity, and fluency. The results showed that pre- task planning can contribute more to learners’ L2 speaking performance than within task planning in general. Furthermore, pre-task planning plus within task planning can positively influence learners’ speaking performance; however, there is no significant difference in its planning effects compared with pre-task planning and within task planning. These findings suggest that language instructors can develop L2 learners’ planning strategies to empower them to maximize their performance within the given time. In addition, the amount of time learners are given to plan before and/or during their performance should probably be considered, because being either too short or too long may not virtually be productive to learners’ speech quality.