L2 Oral Proficiency Research Articles

The Impact of Lexical Bundle Length on L2 Oral Proficiency

Lexical bundles (LBs) are crucial in L2 oral proficiency, yet their complexity in terms of length is under-researched. This study therefore examines the relationship between longer and shorter LBs and oral proficiency among 150 L2 learners of varying proficiency levels at a UK university. Through the analysis of oral presentation data (scores ranging from intermediate to advanced) and employing a combined text-internal and text-external approach (two- to five-word bundles), this study advances an innovative text-internal LB refinement procedure, thus isolating the unique contribution of LB length. Robust regression, dominance analysis, and random forest statistical techniques reveal the predictive power of bigram mutual information (MI) and longer three-to-five-word sequences on higher proficiency scores. Our results show that learners using higher MI score bigrams tend to perform better in their presentations, with a strong positive impact on scores (b = 14.38, 95% CI [8.01, 20.76], t = 4.42; dominance weight = 58.63%). Additionally, the use of longer three-to-five-word phrases also contributes to better performance, though to a lesser extent (dominance weight = 18.80%). These findings highlight the pedagogical potential of a nuanced approach to the strategic deployment of LBs, particularly bigram MI, to foster oral proficiency. Suggestions for future LB proficiency research are discussed in relation to L2 speech production models.

The Role of Video-Based Shadowing Practices in L2 Oral Proficiency Development

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of shadowing practices on oral proficiency and pronunciation, specifically in terms of comprehensibility, pronunciation, intonation, and speech rate in second language learners. To this end, intact freshmen classes in an English language teaching program were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group carried out 11 shadowing tasks bi-weekly in two academic terms and submitted their shadowing recordings to the learning management system to receive feedback from their instructor. After the intervention, oral rating forms, an activity evaluation survey, and a semi-structured interview were used to investigate the outcomes. The oral assessment forms including pre- and post-treatment oral recordings of the participants were rated online through a 7-point Likert scale by native speakers of English. The ratings of the experimental and control groups were compared through ANOVAs. The descriptive statistics revealed that the experimental group demonstrated a relatively higher but small increase in the oral rating components (comprehensibility, intonation, speech rate) except for the pronunciation of individual sounds. However, the pre- and post-test differences of both groups were not found to be statistically significant in the ANOVA analysis. The 5-point Likert scale activity evaluation questionnaire and the content analysis of the interviews showed that the experimental group participants thought shadowing improves pronunciation and overall, participants had positive attitudes towards the shadowing practice.

The structural relationships among L2 motivation, out-of-class informal learning, and oral proficiency: A multiple-group structural equation modeling study

Second language (L2) motivation is the driving force behind L2 learning. It is of great pedagogical significance to explore how motivation factors, directly and indirectly, impact L2 oral proficiency. Based on data for all L2 learners as a composite group, Lin proposed and verified a conceptual model revealing the structural relations among L2 motivation factors (i.e. L2 interest, and perceived importance of speaking), behavioral variable (i.e. out-of-class L2 contact), and L2 oral proficiency. However, since gender differences and other learner subgroup differences in L2 motivation have been found by previous research, it is imperative to test whether this model is applicable across various learner subgroups. Based upon a dataset of 631 college students taking Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish language classes in the United States, this study used multiple-group structural equation modeling (MG-SEM) to test the applicability of the model for L2 learners of diverse backgrounds. Key findings suggest adequacy of the model across the following subgroups: females vs. males; learners with vs. without at least two years of high school target language learning experience; and learners of commonly taught languages (i.e. Spanish and French) vs. less commonly taught languages (i.e. Chinese and Russian). However, pronounced differences in the applicability of the model are evident in comparisons of heritage and non-heritage language learners. There are significant differences in the relationships between L2 interest, perceived importance of speaking, and L2 oral proficiency, which are stronger for non-heritage learners. More research efforts are needed to fully understand the uniqueness of heritage learners’ motivation constructs and motivation process.

Individual differences in L1 attainment and language aptitude predict L2 achievement in instructed language learners

AbstractAlthough most children learn to communicate in their first language (L1), there is normal and expected variation in their rate of acquisition across all components of the language system. Until recently, most second language acquisition and second language (L2) researchers have assumed that individual differences (IDs) in L1 acquisition are small and irrelevant to IDs in L2 acquisition. However, growing evidence has found strong relationships between IDs in L1 attainment and ultimate L2 achievement. In this longitudinal study, US secondary students were administered measures of L1 written and oral achievement, L1 cognitive processing, and L2 aptitude, then followed over 3 years of Spanish instruction and administered standardized measures of L2 literacy and oral proficiency at the end of each year. Hierarchical regressions followed by regression commonality analysis showed that IDs in L1 achievement alone (reading, writing, vocabulary, and print exposure) accounted for substantial unique variance in L2 reading, writing, listening comprehension, and oral proficiency, while L2 aptitude accounted for additional unique variance at the end of each year. A new finding showed that variance accounted for by L1 skills increased from first to second to third year. Results lend additional support to the conclusion of strong L1–L2 relationships between IDs in L1 attainment and IDs in L2 achievement.

Modeling Lexical and Phraseological Sophistication in Oral Proficiency Interviews: A Conceptual Replication

Building on previous studies investigating the multidimensional nature of lexical use in task-based L2 performance, this study clarified the roles that the distinct lexical features play in predicting vocabulary proficiency in a corpus of L2 Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI). A total of 85 OPI samples were rated by three separate raters based on a Common European Frame of Reference (CEFR) based rubric in terms of their linguistic range. The interview transcription was analyzed for 56 lexical and phraseological indices using modern natural language processing tools. The result of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that the 56 indices tapped into 10 distinct factors of lexical use in OPI: three factors related to content words, three related to n-grams, three lexical collocation factors, and one function-word factor. A subsequent Bayesian mixed-effect ordinal regression indicated that six out of the 10 factors meaningfully predicted the CEFR levels on Range with reasonable accuracy (quadratic kappa coefficient = .81 with the human rating). The result highlights the distinct roles that multiple content-word, collocation, and function-word factors play in characterizing the linguistic range in a CEFR-based assessment of OPI. The implication for the assessment of lexical richness, as well as future directions of this research domain, are discussed.

Using narratives of personal experience in L2 oral language proficiency testing

Using narratives of personal experience in L2 oral language proficiency testing

A structural relationship model for L2 oral proficiency, L2 interest, perceived importance of speaking, and out-of-class L2 contact

Using a structural equation modeling approach, this study investigates the structural relationships between second language (L2) oral proficiency and interest in learning the target language (L2 interest), in the presence of potential mediating variables (i.e. perceived importance of speaking, out-of-class contact with L2 resources). It also examines if interactive and noninteractive out-of-class L2 contact function differently in the structural model. Data were collected from 1,922 college students taking Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish language classes in the United States. Key findings suggest that (1) L2 interest, as one measure of integrativeness and intrinsic motivation, strongly drives L2 oral development. However, its effect is completely mediated by the perceived importance of speaking; (2) Out-of-class L2 contact, either interactive or noninteractive, significantly correlates with L2 interest but has no significant effect on L2 oral proficiency; (3) however, interactive and noninteractive out-of-class L2 contact still function differently in the structural relationship. Interactive language practice based on digital tools could play a promising role in future L2 learning. Pedagogical implications are presented in the discussion section.

A structural relationship model for L2 oral proficiency, L2 interest, perceived importance of speaking, and out-of-class L2 contact

A structural relationship model for L2 oral proficiency, L2 interest, perceived importance of speaking, and out-of-class L2 contact

The Efficacy of Computer-Mediated Feedback in Improving L2 Speaking: A Systematic Review

Recent trends in computer-mediated communication (CMC) have led to a proliferation of studies investigating the effect of computer-mediated feedback (CMF). The present systematic review aimed to explore the role of linguistic, contextual, and individual factors in mediating the impact of CMF on second language (L2) speaking performance. A literature search located 16 relevant empirical studies for the final analysis. Each study was coded for linguistic, contextual, and individual characteristics. First, CMF was theoretically conceptualized as an instructional input, a dialogic process, and an internal process based on theoretical underpinnings. Correspondingly, CMF was analyzed under the influence of 1) linguistic factors including feedback type, the linguistic focus of CMF, and the timing of CMF, 2) contextual factors including the feedback source and the task type, and 3) individual factors including individual differences and learners’ proficiency levels. The implication of the study was twofold. Theoretically, this study not only provided a multi-dimension view towards the effect of CMF in developing L2 oral proficiency but also shed new light on the interrelations between these identified factors. Pedagogically, teachers were encouraged to take advantage of CMC technologies to enhance the effectiveness of CMF as well as considering learners’ uniqueness. Suggestions for future research were also provided.

What the analytic versus holistic scoring of international teaching assistants can reveal: Lexical grammar matters

Second-language (L2) testing researchers have explored the relationship between speakers’ overall speaking ability, reflected by holistic scores, and the speakers’ performance on speaking subcomponents, reflected by analytic scores (e.g., McNamara, 1990; Sato, 2011). These research studies have advanced applied linguists’ understanding of how raters view the components of effective speaking skills, but the authors of the studies either used analytic composite scores, instead of true holistic ratings, or ran regression analyses with highly correlated subscores, which is problematic. To address these issues, 10 experienced ITA raters rated the speaking of 127 international teaching assistant (ITA) candidates using a four-component analytic rubric. In addition, holistic ratings were provided for the 127 test takers from a separate (earlier) scoring by two experienced ITA raters. The two types of scores differentiated examinees in similar ways. The variability observed in students’ holistic scores was reflected in their analytic scores. However, among the four analytic subscales, examinees’ scores on Lexical and Grammatical Competence had the greatest differentiating power. Its scores indicated with a high level of accuracy who passed the test and who did not. The paper discusses the components contributing to ITAs’ L2 oral speaking proficiency, and reviews pedagogical implications.

Predictors of English as second language learners’ oral proficiency development in a classroom context

AbstractThe study investigates whether the relationships between complexity and fluency of English as second language (ESL) learners’ in‐class oral presentations as well as their individual differences (ID) and L2 oral proficiency change over time. Individual oral presentations completed by 76 ESL learners were audio‐recorded both at the beginning and end of a 15‐week semester. Each speech‐sample was rated for proficiency by two expert raters using the TOEFL speaking rubric. Linguistic variables included syntactic complexity indices, lexical sophistication indices, and breakdown and speed fluency measures. Learners’ first language background, age, gender, previous L2 learning experiences, and class‐levels were the ID variables. The results show that articulation rate was predictive of development in oral proficiency over time, and intermediate learners were more successful in developing their proficiency.

Roles of collocation in L2 oral proficiency revisited: Different tasks, L1 vs. L2 raters, and cross-sectional vs. longitudinal analyses

There is emerging evidence that collocation use plays a primary role in determining various dimensions of L2 oral proficiency assessment and development. The current study presents the results of three experiments which examined the relationship between the degree of association in collocation use (operationalized as t scores and mutual information scores) and the intuitive judgements of L2 comprehensibility (i.e. ease of understanding). The topic was approached from the angles of different task conditions (Study 1), rater background (first language or L1 vs. second language or L2) (Study 2) and cross-sectional vs. longitudinal analyses (Study 3). The findings showed that: (1) collocation emerged as a medium-to-strong determinant of L2 comprehensibility in structured (picture description) compared to free (oral interview) oral production tasks; (2) with sufficient immersion experience, L2 raters can demonstrate as much sensitivity to collocation as L1 raters; and (3) conversational experience is associated with more coherent and mutually-exclusive combinations of words in L2 speech, resulting in greater L2 comprehensibility development.

The face of communication breakdown: Multimodal repair in L2 oral proficiency interviews

All communication entails moments of breakdown and repair. Research has shown that test-takers in oral proficiency interviews use both verbal and nonverbal behaviors to navigate these breakdowns, which may occur more often in online speaking tests than face-to-face settings. While individuals are often idiosyncratic in their baseline nonverbal behavior, it is unknown to what extent speakers resemble or differ from each other during moments of repair. To date, a research agenda including a broader range of embodied behavior in the context of language tests is lacking. In this study, four Zoom-based video recordings of second language tests were used to investigate seven categories of behavior and their alignment with speech during moments of other-initiated repair., This contribution uses multimodal conversation analysis to analyze differences in behavior amongst the participants and how those patterns align with the turn-by-turn nature of repair. The analysis shows that participants varied substantially in both the frequency and duration of each type of behavior during repair, and furthermore differed in how they combined these during their interaction with the examiner. The study highlights the need for more research in how individuals demonstrate their interactional competence both verbally and nonverbally for greater construct representation in second language speaking tests.

Assessing second language oral proficiency development with holistic and analytic scales

The present study discusses how a group of experienced raters use different types of scales to assess the development of oral proficiency in English as a second language (L2). Raters assigned rates to speech samples first using a holistic scale (CEFR, 2018) and then assigning rates for pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and fluency performance using individual scales. The speech samples were recorded by five Brazilians. There were two data collection sessions, with the second one occurring 7-8 months after the first one. The results indicate high levels of agreement among raters for all scales. Furthermore, the raters detected changes in speakers’ performance in four out of five scales: L2 oral proficiency, vocabulary, grammar, and fluency, and these differences in rates across time were significant for oral proficiency, vocabulary, and fluency. Thus, the different types of scale allow detecting L2 oral proficiency development.

L2 Spanish Listening Comprehension: The Role of Speech Rate, Utterance Length, and L2 Oral Proficiency

AbstractThis study explored the influence of speech rate (normal vs. fast), sentence length (short vs. long), and second language (L2) oral proficiency on listening comprehension in L2 Spanish. Thirty‐one native English‐speaking learners enrolled in upper‐level Spanish courses were aurally exposed to 8 sentences of each type of speed–length matrix, for a total of 32 sentences in Spanish. Listeners’ comprehension was measured through native language recall following each sentence. Generalized estimating equations revealed that sentence length and oral proficiency were both significant predictors of listening comprehension in L2 Spanish, as were speed × oral proficiency and length × oral proficiency interactions. While lengthier utterances decreased comprehension, the extent of their influence was impacted by L2 oral proficiency, as measured by a standardized test. High oral proficiency helped to combat the negative effect of lengthier utterances. Moreover, accelerated speech degraded listening comprehension for higher proficiency participants only—not for their lower proficiency counterparts due to the latter's low comprehension scores at both normal and fast rates of sentence delivery. The results are discussed in light of previous empirical studies on listening ability. The current study contributes to the recent exploration of the variables involved in the complex process of L2 listening comprehension, discusses implications for pedagogy and the creation of listening materials, and suggests avenues for future research.

Laughter as Same-Turn Self-Repair Initiation in L2 Oral Proficiency Interview

Repair is the effort that speaker makes to smooth utterances or conversations in order to achieve the ongoing progressivity of the turn. Among the types of repair, self-repair is mostly preferred (Schegloff et al., 1977) in talk-in-interaction, and in self-repair, self-initiated self-repair is mostly preferred, especially when it happens in the same turn. Therefore it has received much attention. In the gate-keeping interviews for Chinese candidates to get access to the target college in Britain, there occurs in L2 a large number of same-turn self-initiated self-repair cases, in which the initiation is no longer the single lexical words, or the non-lexical pauses like cut-off, or sound stretches as has been studied, but the paralinguistic device, laughter. Despite the numerous studies on roles of laughter, there is hardly a mention of laughter employed as a self-repair initiation. Consequently, this study determines on the focus on laughter as a self-repair initiator in L2, and aims to identify its exact shape and positions in self-repair and relevant repairing segment, therefore concluding on its specific functions and its relations with delicacy. This study wishes to contribute to the researches on self-repair initiation in Conversation Analysis and on laughter in particular L2 testing context.

Examining a developmentally based measure of L2 oral performances: Does it predict L2 learners’ oral proficiency?

Although structural complexity of learners’ oral production has often been correlated with proficiency, there has been less focus into whether high proficiency L2 learners use L2 forms that belong to higher levels in developmental sequences. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether an index based on the developmental levels of second language (L2) morphological and syntactic forms (Index of Developmental Levels, IDL) predict L2 oral proficiency and learners’ institutional placement in different class-levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and whether IDL is a better predictor of these variables compared to widely-used structural complexity measures (mean length of AS-unit and subordination measure). The dataset included monologic oral presentations from English as second language (ESL) learners (n = 60) of varied proficiency levels. Each speech-sample was rated for oral proficiency by two expert raters using the TOEFL independent speaking rubric. The results showed IDL as a significant positive predictor of L2 oral proficiency scores and learners’ placement in class-levels. IDL was also found to be a stronger predictor of learners’ oral proficiency and institutional placement compared to subordination measure. The results are discussed with reference to the importance of including developmentally based measures for gaining informed insights into L2 oral performances.

How does longitudinal interaction promote second language speech learning? Roles of learner experience and proficiency levels

This study examined how longitudinal interaction impacts the development of second language (L2) oral proficiency in relation to learners’ different experience and proficiency levels. Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) participated in weekly conversation exchanges with native speakers (NSs) in the USA via videoconferencing tools over one academic semester (12 weeks). The participants’ spontaneous speech, elicited from a story telling task before and after the treatment, was analysed via a set of linguistic measures. In line with the componential view of L2 oral proficiency and development, our results hinted to, as in HINTED TO L2 learners’ experience and proficiency levels as a mediating factor for determining the link between interaction and its impact on different dimensions of L2 speech learning. While the longitudinal interaction equally improved the participants’ grammatical complexity and articulation rate – a fundamental component for defining L2 oral proficiency – the development of less experienced/proficient learners was observed across a wide range of lexicogrammar and fluency features (lexical appropriateness/richness, grammatical accuracy, pause ratio). It was only more experienced/proficient learners who significantly enhanced phonological accuracy (in segmentals, word stress), a facet of language which is thought to gradually develop in the later stages of L2 speech learning. These findings add another piece of evidence for the differential effects of long-term interaction relative to L2 learners’ developmental stages.

Which segmental features matter for successful L2 comprehensibility? Revisiting and generalizing the pedagogical value of the functional load principle

Building up on Munro and Derwing, the current study set out to re-examine and generalize the Functional Load (FL) principle (Brown, 1988) as a tool to identify a set of relatively crucial segmental features for successful understanding in L2 communication. In Experiment 1, 40 Japanese learners of English in English-as-Foreign-Language settings engaged in a semi-structured task (i.e. timed picture description). Their speech was assessed by native speaking raters for overall comprehensibility (ease of understanding); and then coded for the number of high vs. low FL segmental substitution errors according to the FL principle. The results showed that it was only high FL consonant substitutions (e.g. mispronunciation of /l/ as /r/ or /v/ as /b/) that negatively impacted on native listeners’ comprehensibility judgments. In Experiment 2, 40 Japanese learners of English with a wide range of immersion experience in English-speaking countries participated. The results replicated the significant impact of high FL consonant substitutions as observed in Experiment 1. Taken together, this study suggests that the FL principle may greatly help teachers and students prioritize communicatively important segmental features, a crucial step towards improving L2 oral proficiency in an effective and efficient way.

Exploring the Use of Drama-Based Activities as a Learning Tool in English Oral Proficiency Development among Students from Non-Malay-Medium Nation Schools: A Preliminary Study

Transitioning from Non-Malay-medium national schools to Malay-medium or English-medium secondary schools proved to be a struggle for many students due to the negligence in developing audio-lingual skills of the second language (L2) throughout the six-years of primary education. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of drama-based activities as a language learning strategy on L2 oral proficiency among the students aged between 12 to 13 years old from Non-Malay-Medium National School. Over a period of five weeks, pre-intervention interviews (on the first week), intervention (over the span of three weeks with two hours per week), and post-intervention interviews (on the fifth week) were carried out. The content of the intervention was adapted from Trinity College London's Grade 4 Communication Skills syllabus. The instruments used for data collection included: (1) pre-determined pre- and post-intervention speaking assessments, (2) classroom observation speaking assessments and (3) oral proficiency assessment rubric adapted from Cambridge English speaking assessment of Common European Framework of Reference Level B1 and a published drama assessment tool focusing on elements such as Grammar and Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Discourse Management, and Task Completion. The results of the post-intervention oral proficiency assessment showed that the there was an overall improvement especially in discourse management and task completion.