L2 Utterance Fluency Development Before, During, and After Residence Abroad: A Multidimensional Investigation

Abstract

This study investigated second language fluency development over a nearly 2‐year period which included an academic year abroad and the year immediately following the participants' return to their home university. Data from 24 L1 English learners of Spanish were collected 6 times: once before, 3 times during, and 2 times after a 9‐month stay abroad. Participants were recorded orally retelling a picture‐based narrative, and data were coded for 9 measures of utterance fluency. Results indicated different developmental trends: Gains in speed fluency appeared quickly and were maintained after the return from study abroad, whereas gains in breakdown fluency often took longer and were more sensitive to attrition after returning home. There were no changes over time in repair fluency. These results appear to indicate that some fluency improvements are more robust and less likely to be affected by the change in context (study abroad vs. home country). The findings fill a gap in our understanding of the relationship between oral fluency development and second language speech production processes, and have implications for study abroad researchers as well as post‐study abroad instruction.

The Social Lives of Adolescent Study Abroad Learners and Their L2 Development

“…Jana's speech rate (SR) increased by 19% from the first to the last interview. The biggest increase occurred from the first to the second interview, mirroring the same findings of previous SA studies (Huensch & Tracy–Ventura, ). After a dip in Interview 3, her SR levelled out at 140+ unpruned words per minute.…”

“…Alia displayed a gradual increase in frequency in both lexical diversity and the use of smallwords. Both learners’ fluency improved over time, including their repair fluency, which has not been observed in some other studies (e.g., Huensch & Tracy–Ventura, ). There was a substantial change in the first month followed by slower, largely linear development over the rest of the SA.…”

“…A general finding is that even short stays abroad can lead to gains in oral fluency, in particular speech rate (e.g., Freed, ; Lennon, ; Llanes, Tragant, & Serrano, ; Mora & Valls–Ferrer, ; Tonkyn, ; Towell, Hawkins, & Bazergui, ; Wood, ). Huensch and Tracy–Ventura () investigated university‐level learners of L2 Spanish on a 9‐month SA, collecting fluency data before the SA, three times during it, and two times after its completion. They reported that fluency developed quite quickly, peaking after 5 months.…”

“…Kinginger (2009) pointed out that much of the SA research is limited in a number of respects. Assessments are typically based on data collected just prior to and immediately following the SAthe studies by Dings (2014), Huensch and Tracy-Ventura (2017), Isabelli-Garcia (2006), Kinginger (2015), Shively (2015), and Wood (2012) being notable exceptions. Little is still known about the changes that occur during the SA.…”

Aspects of Fluency Across Assessed Levels of Speaking Proficiency

“…The rationale supporting the distinction is that the two sets of measures may have different strengths and weaknesses, and therefore may be useful for different purposes. For example, while composite measures correspond more strongly with human judgement of fluency (e.g., Kormos & Denes, ), pure measures tell us more about the underlying processes of speech formulation and production (e.g., Huensch & Tracy–Ventura, ) and can therefore provide a more nuanced picture of fluency that is more appropriate in language teaching and assessment (Tavakoli & Hunter, ). From a psycholinguistic perspective, an in‐depth and detailed analysis of L2 fluency is also perceived as crucial, since the emerging evidence (de Jong et al., ; Derwing et al., ; Huensch & Tracy–Ventura, ; Peltonen, ) suggests that first language (L1) and L2 fluency behaviors are, at least to some extent, related, and that certain aspects of L2 fluency might be a function of L1 personal styles.…”