Language Learning ISSN 0023-8333 Fluency Training in the ESL Classroom: An Experimental Study of Fluency Development and Proceduralization

The present study investigates the role of speech repetition in oral fluency development. Twenty-four students enrolled in English-as-a-second-language classes performed three training sessions in which they recorded three speeches, of 4, 3, and 2 min, respectively. Some students spoke about the same topic three times, whereas others spoke about three different topics. It was found that fluency improved for both groups during training but was maintained on posttests only by the students who repeated their speeches. These students had usedmorewords repeatedly across speeches,most ofwhichwere not specif-ically related to the topic. It is argued that proceduralization of linguistic knowledge represented a change in underlying cognitive mechanisms, resulting in improvements in observable fluency. Keywords classroom research; English as a second language; fluency training; oral fluency; proceduralization; second language; task repetition; vocabulary The ultimate goal of many second-language (L2) learners is to be fluent in the target language—that is, to be able to express their thoughts easily, with more The data of the pretests and posttests were presented at the AAAL conference in Costa Mesa, CA, on April 24, 2007. The authors would like to thank Colleen Davy, Jessica Hogan, RhondaMcClain, and Laura Halderman for their contributions to transcription, coding, and analysis of the data from the training sessions. Thanks to Laura Halderman, Mary Lou Vercellotti, and Scott Walters fo