The effect of ‘massed’ task repetitions on complexity, accuracy and fluency: does it transfer to a new task?

Abstract

To date, research results suggest that task repetition positively affects oral task performance. However, researchers have not yet shown the extension of the benefits of repeating the same task to performance of a new task. This article first provides an overview of the currently available research findings on task repetition and then presents the results of a six-month study which aimed to find out whether or not the effects of massed repetitions of the same task carry over to performance of a new task. Thirty intermediate EFL learners from two intact classes participated in this study. Participants in the experimental group were required to engage in a dialogic narrative task on Occasions 1 to 11 and then an interview task on Occasion 12, each occasion being two weeks apart. Participants in the control group, meanwhile, were only required to perform the oral narrative task at Time 1 and to engage in the interview task at Time 12. Results revealed that massed repetitions of the same task assisted subjects in the experimental group to outperform those in the control group in terms of complexity and fluency but not accuracy. In conclusion, it is claimed that the benefits of massed repetitions of the same task transfer to performance of a new task but not necessarily in all areas of performance.