Fluency Assessment of First Year EFL Learners in St. Theresa International College

Abstract

The global market demands for speaking English since the cross-border business communication is done in English. To meet this challenge, it has become imperative for schools to assess the fluency level of their students in order to cater to their needs. This study was conducted to determine the level of oral fluency of St. Theresa International College EFL leaners in the dimensions of : fluency, meaning and ideas, and vocabulary extent. The study also compared the level of fluency of the EFL learners from the different faculties. The descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis. The findings showed that the EFL learners of St. Theresa International College have attained a high level of fluency in vocabulary, moderate level in oral fluency, and low level in meaning and ideas as well as in sentence structure. When grouped according to faculties, the findings showed that International Business, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Business English and Bachelor of Education students are in moderate level of fluency while those in Public Health and Sports Management had low level of fluency. In general, the level of fluency of St. Theresa International College EFL learners is in need of urgent improvement considering that majority of the students have reached only moderate level of fluency. Hence, a pedagogical model was developed to meet the needs of ESL learners. This model has specific stages which can lead to the development of skills in oral fluency, meaning and ideas, sentence structure and vocabulary.