Abstract-There are many avenues of research in the field of second language (L2) acquisition. One that continues to be of great importance to researchers but also teachers is the development of students' oral proficiency skills. Research regarding effective teaching and learning strategies to aid L2 oral development has garnered much attention, yet a clear set of "best practices" remains absent. In an attempt to bring to the forefront some effective strategies for L2 oral skill development, we undertook a review of the literature in the areas of oral proficiency, academic language development, and L2 teaching and learning strategies. As our review presents research findings from various contexts around the world, our aim is not to provide a one-sizefits-all approach to improving students' L2 oral proficiency but to share issues from research that can and do inform teaching practice. Practical suggestions for L2 teachers that are connected to the findings of research are offered throughout the paper.Index Terms-oral skills development, second language pedagogy, oral proficiency, teacher preparation, second language teaching and learning strategies, communicative competence
In Canada, education in French as a second language (FSL) offers students the opportunity to learn a second official language. Is such an opportunity appropriate for allophone students who are still in the process of learning English? This literature review provides a fourfold consideration of the issue. Section 1 examines the political response by investigating whether Canadian federal policies provide for the inclusion of allophone students in FSL programs. Section 2 provides an overview of provincial policies, specifically examining allophone students’ access to FSL. A review of the literature regarding the motivation of allophone students is found in Section 3. Finally, Section 4 details the research on the achievement of allophone students studying French.
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