L2 SPEECH PRODUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM: THE EFFECTS OF TREATING SPEAKING IN ITS OWN RIGHT

Abstract

In this study we investigate the effects of a 14-week instructional treatment, in which L2 speaking is addressed in terms of its specificities, on L2 learners’ oral fluency. Twenty-four L2 learners at the upper-intermediate level of proficiency, assigned to an experimental group or to a control group, participated in the study. Speech performance was elicited by means of descriptive, narrative, and interview tasks on a pre- post-test basis. Results of statistical analyses show that there is trend toward gains in oral fluency after the treatment.