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1
Leonard, Karen Ruth. "Speaking fluency and study abroad: what factors are related to fluency development?" Diss., University of Iowa, 2015. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1676.
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This study explores the development of second language (L2) fluency during a semester abroad and its relationship to the development of grammar, vocabulary, and language processing speed. It also considers the influence of individual participants' first language (L1) and pre-study abroad (SA) L2 fluency on the development of fluency during study abroad. Additionally, the study examines issues in the measurement of fluency, focusing on questions related to measuring pauses in L2 speech.
Thirty-nine undergraduate students (L1 English) studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, completed a pretest consisting of speaking tasks in English and Spanish, Spanish grammar and vocabulary tests, a picture-naming task, and a measure of sentence processing speed. Approximately three months later, near the end of their time abroad, they completed a posttest consisting of the same tasks, with the exception of the speaking tasks in English. Participants also filled out a questionnaire every other week during the semester in which they estimated the amount of time that they had spent interacting with native speakers of Spanish.
Results show that participants experienced significant gains on most measures of fluency during study abroad. This finding was especially true for participants who began their time abroad with low L2 fluency. Nevertheless, students who began the semester abroad with high L2 fluency still had significantly higher fluency at the end of the semester than students who began with low L2 fluency.
Looking at the relationship between L2 fluency and L2 linguistic knowledge (vocabulary and grammar scores) and language processing speed (picture-naming and sentence-matching scores), the study found a moderate relationship between pretest measures of L2 fluency and pretest measures of linguistic knowledge and processing speed. However, the results show no relationship between pre-SA linguistic knowledge and processing speed and gains in L2 fluency, and little relationship between gains in linguistic knowledge and processing speed and gains in L2 fluency. The best predictor of gains in L2 fluency was pre-SA L2 fluency. These results suggest that although there is a relationship between L2 linguistic knowledge and L2 fluency, having more advanced L2 linguistic knowledge prior to study abroad does not necessarily give students an advantage in the area of fluency development during study abroad.
Regarding the measurement of fluency, the data show that learners with low and high levels of lexical-grammatical competence significantly differed from one another on all measures of rates of pauses (short and long pauses, filled and unfilled pauses, and mid-clause and end-of-clause pauses) as well as in the percent of pauses occurring in the middle of a clause. However, they did not significantly differ from one another in the percent of filled pauses. The findings suggest that measuring all of these pauses may be useful in examining L2 fluency. However, there is perhaps little or nothing to be gained from counting filled and unfilled pauses separately, as speakers' tendency to use more of one or the other appears to be more closely related to personal speaking style than to L2 ability.
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Silva, Ivan. "Word sort| Building fluency through decoding." Thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10142972.
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This study examined the effectiveness of an evidenced-based reading intervention, Word Sort, with bilingual students receiving dual immersion education. This study expands upon the existing research on Word Sort by examining its impact on bilingual students’ reading fluency. The following research questions was proposed: Is Word Sort an effective intervention with bilingual (dual immersion) students who are struggling early readers? A visual analysis and effect size of participants’ data across baseline and treatment conditions found that all three participants’ Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) improved. This suggests that Word Sort is a promising intervention for bilingual, dual immersion students with reading delays.
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Dwyer, Edward J. "Enhancing Reading Fluency." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2008. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/3402.
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Dwyer, Edward J. "Enhancing Reading Fluency." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2007. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/3403.
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Kirk, Steven J. "Second language spoken fluency in monologue and dialogue." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/38421/.
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Although second language spoken fluency has long been recognized as a major component of language proficiency, it has never been clearly defined. It has been shown that fluency is a complex phenomenon, with a host of relevant factors, and it has been suggested that it might be better separated into multiple concepts, such as cognitive fluency and utterance fluency. There is also evidence that fluency has a dialogic aspect, that is, that the fluency of a conversation is a co-construction of the two speakers, rather than simply alternating monologues. This can be observed in the confluence created by smooth turn exchanges, which results in minimizing gaps and avoiding overlap. The present study seeks to examine the co-construction of dialogic fluency through a parallel case study of two Japanese learners of English. One learner was of lower-intermediate proficiency, and the other was of higher proficiency, but both were able to create good impressions of fluency in conversations with native speakers of English. The case study design was semi-experimental in that it involved a story-retelling task done in monologue and dialogue, which was repeated to take into account the effect of practice. The case study allowed the close examination of the construction of fluency in the story-retelling task moment-by-moment through the course of the retellings, taking into account all relevant factors. The semi-experimental, parallel case study design allowed the findings to be compared (1) between monologue (where the learner recorded herself telling the story alone) and dialogue (where the learner told the story to a native speaker interlocutor), and (2) between the two learners of differing proficiency. This study was also mixed-methods in that it combined a qualitative, grounded theory approach to data analysis involving discourse analytic techniques, with quantitative comparisons of temporal variables of fluency. It was also multi-modal in that video was employed to take into account gaze, gesture, and head nods. Results of quantitative analyses revealed that the dialogues were comparatively more fluent than the monologues in terms of speech rate, articulation rate, and length of silences, for both speakers, although the higher-proficiency subject had faster speech and articulation rates than the lower-proficiency learner. This implies that narrative in dialogue is not just a listener occasionally backchanneling while the speaker delivers a monologue. The qualitative analyses revealed that the co-construction of smooth conversation was facilitated by the alignment of rhythm between the speaker and listener, supported by gaze, gestures, and head nods. The learners in these case studies were able to employ different fluency techniques for stressing words in phrases to create rhythm in spite of lower speech rates, and were able to adjust those techniques to maintain rhythm with even lower speech rates at difficult points of the story. These results confirm previous research that some apparent “dysfluencies” in speech should be considered as speech management phenomena, that positively contribute to the co-construction of fluent conversation. They also suggest that alignment between the speakers in terms of rhythm of speech and gaze are important in conversation, confirming previous research showing alignment at these and other levels of interaction. Finally, it appears that fluency is a multi-level construct, and that dialogic fluency should be considered a separate construct from cognitive fluency, of equal or more importance. This has implications for language testing, such that fluency may not be able to be captured with single test types, and for language teaching and learning more generally.
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Vargas, Dolores Judy. "Fluency and comprehension process for English language learners." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2008. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3340.
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The purpose of this study is to reengage low-performing students. This study will incorporate meaningful activities, strategies, and techniques to improve reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.
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Wood, David. "Formulaic language in speech fluency development in English as a second language." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/29274.
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This thesis is an investigation of the role of formulaic language in second language (L2) speech fluency development, within a cognitive and information processing framework. Fluency has been studied and defined in terms of temporal variables of speech such as rate of speech, pause frequency and distribution, and the length of fluent runs between pauses. It has been suggested by several researchers that the key to fluency in spontaneous speech is mastery of a repertoire of formulaic language sequences, multiword strings processed mentally as single words (Schmidt, 1991; Towell, Hawkins, and Bazergui, 1996; Chambers, 1998). If formulaic sequences are automatized or stored and retrieved as wholes from long term memory so as to allow longer lexical units to be produced within the limits of controlled processing (McLaughlin, Rossman, and McLeod, 1983; Kahnemann and Treismann, 1984; DeKeyser, 2001) and short term memory (Anderson, 1983; Baddeley, 1988), then they may facilitate spontaneous speech under the constraints of real time. The present study was designed to examine whether this could be so.
The study draws on a synthesis of research from three areas: fluency and its development in second language (L2) speech; formulaic language, multi-word lexical units which are stored and retrieved in long-term memory so as to be retrieved as wholes; social and cultural factors related to fluency development and formulaic language use, including first language and culture, voice, and identity. The research was interpreted in light of psycholinguistic knowledge about mental processes underlying L2 speech production, particularly the growing evidence that formulaic language sequences are fundamental to fluent language production as they allow production to occur despite the restrictions of controlled processing and the constraints of short term memory capacity.
The hypotheses which frame the research centre around the idea that increased use of formulaic language units by learners over time facilitates the development of speech fluency as measured by temporal variables such as speech rate, pause phenomena, and the length of fluent runs occurring between pauses. Specifically, it was hypothesized that, with continued learning and experience, L2 speech would exhibit a faster rate of production, a greater proportion of production time spent speaking as opposed to pausing, longer runs between pauses, and that formulaic sequences would appear more frequently in the longer runs between pauses. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Kapranov, Oleksandr. "The impact of language exposure on fluency in simultaneous interpreting." University of Western Australia. School of Animal Biology, 2009. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2010.0012.
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Five experiments are presented in this thesis. They investigate the impact of the interpreter's language exposure on the interpreter's fluency in simultaneous interpreting. The measurement of the interpreter's fluency involves a quantitative procedure developed by Kirsner and his colleagues (2002). The procedure is based on computer-assisted analyses of pause and speech segment durations and associated variables. The quantitative measures are employed to determine whether or not different levels of the language exposure influence fluency in simultaneous interpreting. The impact of the interpreter's language exposure is elaborated upon within the framework of dynamic systems theory. Experiment 1 is a pilot case study investigating the applicability of the methodology developed by Kirsner and his colleagues (2002, 2005) to the research in fluency in simultaneous interpreting. In Experiments 2-5 this methodology is extended to investigate the impact of the participants' language exposure on fluency in simultaneous interpreting involving various language pair combinations. Experiment 2 investigates the interpreter students' exposure to their third working language, Norwegian. It has been found that the participant's fluency in the experimental tasks critically depends on the amount of out-of-classroom language exposure, involving the language exposure to Swedish, a language typologically closely related to Norwegian. Experiment 3 investigates the impact of the interpreter students' language exposure gained during the stay abroad in Germany on their fluency in interpretation from/into German. Significant gains in fluency due to the stay abroad have been found between the groups of participants and their respective controls who studied German at their respective home universities. Experiments 4 and 5 explore the impact of the on-going language exposure to the interpreter's second language in the conditions of discontinuity in practicing simultaneous interpreting. The participants with the language pair combinations Finnish/Swedish (experiment 4) and English/Russian (experiment 5) have discontinued practicing simultaneous interpreting, yet enjoy a continuous exposure to their working languages. The participants have exhibited superior fluency measures compared to their respective controls (beginner and advanced students), and inferior fluency measures compared to the control group of professional interpreters. Data analysis of all the participants under all experimental conditions have not yielded any pause duration distributions specific to simultaneous interpreting.
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Beers, Scott F. "Reading fluency and adolescent students' reading processes during writing /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/7700.
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Bagherian, Fatemeh Carleton University Dissertation Psychology. "Language fluency, expertise and information searching in the library." Ottawa, 1993.
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Shimono, Torrin Robert. "The Dynamic Cognitive Processes of Second Language Reading Fluency." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/586672.
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Teaching & LearningPh.D.
Second language (L2) reading fluency has not received sufficient attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and applied linguistics, especially regarding the types of treatments that promote reading fluency (Grabe, 2009). Hence, this study was a longitudinal, quasi-experimental investigation of the effects of timed reading, repeated oral reading, and extensive reading on the development of reading fluency among Japanese university students. The eight purposes of this study were to: (a) better understand how timed reading, repeated oral reading, and extensive reading treatments contribute to reading fluency in terms of reading rate and comprehension over one academic year; (b) distinguish how extensive reading, timed reading, and repeated oral reading treatments differentially promote reading fluency; (c) elucidate on how timed reading, repeated oral reading, and extensive reading treatments affect the automatization of word recognition sub-processes over time; (d) investigate differences between the reading fluency treatment groups in terms of their word recognition sub-processes; (e) further understand how reading fluency treatments contribute to oral reading fluency; (f) examine differences in oral reading fluency between the reading fluency treatment groups; (g) determine how reading fluency training affects learners’ perception of their L2 reading self-efficacy; and (h) shed light on differences in L2 reading self-efficacy between reading fluency treatment groups. This study was conducted in a private university in western Japan. The participants (N = 101) were first- and second-year Japanese university students. These participants formed four quasi-experimental groups: (a) Group 1, labeled as the oral reading group, received a reading fluency treatment consisting of extensive reading, timed reading, and repeated oral reading; (b) Group 2, the timed reading group, participated in extensive reading and timed reading; (c) Group 3, the extensive reading group, did extensive reading only; and (d) Group 4, the comparison group, practiced speaking and communication activities. Data for this study were obtained using the following instruments: a vocabulary size test, timed reading tests, timed reading practice passages used throughout the treatment period, an extensive reading test, a lexical decision task, an antonym semantic decision task, a pseudoword homophone judgment task, an oral reading task, and an L2 reading self-efficacy questionnaire, a utility of the reading fluency treatments questionnaire, as well as individual interviews with 20 of the participants. Excluding the vocabulary size test, the timed reading treatment passages, the utility of the reading fluency treatments questionnaire, and the interviews, the other measures were administered three times over the course of one academic year—once prior, once in the middle, and once at the end of the reading fluency treatment period. Prior to conducting quantitative analyses on the data gathered with the instruments mentioned above, the L2 reading self-efficacy questionnaire data were analyzed using the Rasch rating-scale model in order to confirm the validity and reliability of the instrument as well as to transform the raw scores into equal interval measures. In addition, the Rasch model was used to check for interrater reliability and rater severity of the scores of the oral reading task. Data cleaning procedures were also applied to the reaction time and reading rate data. The data were then analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVAs and MAN(C)OVAs in order to ascertain differences in within-subjects and between-subjects measures. The results showed that the three reading fluency treatment groups made significant within-subjects increases in their reading fluency with the oral reading group making the most reading rate gains, followed by the timed reading group, and the extensive reading group. Moreover, the oral reading group generally outperformed the other groups on reading rate measures. However, the extensive reading group did not significantly outperform the comparison group. In addition, while the timed reading group had the fastest word recognition reaction times, the oral reading group made the most gains in orthographic, semantic, and phonological processing. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between the groups on orthographic processing, but the oral reading group, timed reading group had significantly faster semantic and phonological processing reaction times compared to the comparison group. With regards to oral reading fluency, the oral reading group made the most gains and achieved the highest scores, but the timed reading group also made significant gains. Finally, the oral reading groups’ L2 reading self-efficacy increased the most. The results of the study underscore the importance of using a multifaceted approach of extensive reading, timed reading, and repeated oral reading in the development of L2 reading fluency. Through this reading fluency training, the learners not only became more proficient readers in both silent and oral modes, but they also became more self-efficacious in L2 reading tasks. Ultimately, these learners became more empowered to achieve success in their L2 learning endeavors.
Temple University--Theses
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Dagoon, Jinky Lunaspe. "Reading fluency instruction in upper elementary international school classrooms." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2005. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2624.
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This project focuses on the importance of reading fluency, emphasizing its role in the construction of meaning and aiding in the overall comprehension process. Its components: accuracy, automaticity, and prosody are examined in relation to various activities that enhance each component. A sample curriculum is discussed.
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Hall, Nancy E. "Examining the relationship between language and fluency in children with developmental language disorders." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 1992. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1056121958.
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Lin, Chien-Fang. "Promoting oral fluency for English learners using differentiated corrective feedback." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2005. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2921.
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The purpose of this project is to address the need from helping English learners to improve their oral expression. The research mainly focuses on oral expression stategies with which students can overcome their fear of speaking in public and be better understood in society. Sample curriculum/lesson plans included.
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McGuire, Michael Larson-Hall Jenifer. "Formulaic sequences in English conversation improving spoken fluency in non-native speakers /." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2009. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-11024.
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Doe, Timothy Jonathan. "ORAL FLUENCY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES: A ONE-SEMESTER STUDY OF EFL STUDENTS." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2017. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/475911.
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Teaching & LearningEd.D.
The development of speaking fluency is a major goal for many EFL language learners and several researchers have proposed frameworks for fluency instruction based on theories of cognitive science. It is unclear however, whether EFL students with restricted opportunities to use English outside of language classrooms can benefit from fluency development activities. This main purpose of this study was to determine whether EFL students’ speaking fluency improved whilst participating in theoretically grounded fluency development activities. In addition, student use of formulaic language, participation in classroom activities, and repetition of previously used lexical items was examined in order to determine its relation to development in speaking fluency. 32 first-year Japanese university students from four intact discussion skills classes took part in the study, which was conducted over a period of 12 weeks. Data were collected by recording student performances in a variety of fluency development activities and interactive communicative tasks. There were four main questions investigated in this study. The first research question was focused on long-term fluency development by using multi-level modeling to determine whether gains were made in fluency measures in four 2-minute speaking monologue tests that were conducted at regular periods throughout the semester. Three in-class performance variables - the amount of repeated words, the amount of tokens spoken, and the amount of formulaic language spoken, and three individual difference variables—willingness to communicate, extraversion, and first language fluency were also examined to determine if they were related to any growth observed. The second research question looked at short-term fluency development across a time-pressured speaking activity and similarly used multi-level modeling with the same predictor variables. The third research question concerned the relationship of complexity and accuracy to the fluency measures derived from the monologue speaking tests. Finally, the fourth research question was an investigation of the relationship between the objective fluency measurements and subjective expert ratings. The results indicated that the participants made very small, but significant gains on their mean length of pause across the monologue speaking tests. While none of the predictor variables had a strong relationship with this development, post-hoc analyses suggested that other fluency measures and oral proficiency level could have covaried with this growth. There was also a small but significant improvement in the phonation/time ratio, however, none of the predictor variables appeared to covary with this development. No other significant relationships were found in the long-term fluency measures. For the short-term fluency measures, significant growth was seen across the three deliveries of the speaking activity. While several of the predictor variables, most prominently repetition and the number of tokens spoken, had a significant relationship with this growth, a closer examination revealed that the degree of covariance was extremely slight. The relationship among complexity, accuracy, and fluency also became more significantly correlated over time, suggesting that learners produced higher quality samples of language as the study progressed. Finally, the expert ratings had significant correlations with three of the five fluency measures, indicating that human raters were able to detect small differences in spoken fluency. The findings of this study show that fluency can develop in instructed foreign language settings, however, the role of practice and repetition might be more complex than has been suggested in the research literature. This study provides some insight into that complexity and suggests a number of directions that can be followed to understand more about fluency development.
Temple University--Theses
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Whitson, Rebecca B. "Drawing As Language." VCU Scholars Compass, 2019. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5941.
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All too often, the “I can’t draw” sentiment is believed by both the frustrated adolescent and adult alike. This is especially evident within the school environment. This paper aims to discuss how visual art --specifically drawing-- is structured, formed and expressed as a type of language, similar to a verbal, written, or physical one. This may give hope to even the most reluctant drawer that they can learn how to draw, opening another means of communication. An individual attains fluency when they are adept at drawing through the use of expression, technical, and observational skills, through practice and motivation, and through instruction. Also in this paper, I will discuss my findings from classroom action research demonstrating how adolescents and adults became more fluent.
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Lannin, Amy A. "Freewriting for fluency and flow in eighth and ninth grade reading classes." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4762.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on February 15, 2008) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Beyene, Tsedal. "Fluency as stigma : implications of a language mandate in global work /." May be available electronically:, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/login?COPT=REJTPTU1MTUmSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=12498.
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Kwinana, Anathi. "Language effects on semantic fluency test performance among South African adults." Master's thesis, Faculty of Humanities, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33751.
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Issues around the cultural fairness of cognitive tests and their administration are becoming increasingly important as the global spread of neuropsychological practice quickens. Most of these tests are developed and standardized in high-income countries of the global north, and so when used in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs) of the global south they are susceptible to influence by non-organic factors. Of relevance for this thesis is that these factors include language of test administration (e.g., whether the test is administered in the participant's home language or language of education) and the language profile of the test-taker (e.g., whether the person is multilingual). Semantic fluency tests are a standard component of many neuropsychological test batteries (e.g., those used to detect various forms of dementia), and are commonly administered in LAMICs without due regard for language influences on performance. Hence, the aim of this research was to investigate the influence of language of test administration on semantic fluency test performance in a sample of multilingual students from an English-medium South African university. Participants were 75 balanced English-isiXhosa bilinguals who were administered singlelanguage and forced-switching semantic fluency tests in both languages, as well as a freeswitching semantic fluency test. Results showed that, across test conditions, participants generated more words when administered the tests in English than in isiXhosa. Analyses also showed that, during the isiXhosa but not English administration, participants performed better under free-switching than forced-switching or single-language conditions. The strongest conclusion one can draw from these observations is that test administrators must ensure that test takers are assessed in a language that allows them to demonstrate their optimal cognitive capacity, and that therefore a determination of language proficiency in each of the test-taker's languages is a necessary prerequisite for assessment. This step is especially important in countries, like South Africa, that are home to many multilingual individuals.
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Nilsson, Eva. "A Comparison of the Effects of Accuracy vs Fluency Based Tasks on Student Motivation, Self-confidence, Accuracy and Fluency." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Sektionen för humaniora (HUM), 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-17647.
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A large discrepancy between national exam results and final grades in English has been found in compulsory school. Between 1.9% and 18.7%, depending on which school, of students receive a course grade that is different from their grade on the national exam. (Corren, 2001 and Skolvärlden, 2012) As a result, many students have not in reality reached the criteria for the passing grade. In my experience, many students come to us with low self-esteem and motivation due to their difficulties with learning a second language. This study compares two ways of learning and their effects on self-esteem, motivation, accuracy and fluency. The subjects were all the students in the college that started year one, and on paper had the grade pass from compulsory school, but in reality had not reached that level. The students were divided into two groups, one with focus on accuracy, and one with focus on fluency. The accuracy-based task followed the style of a traditional English course book. The fluency-based task had one part where the students told each other about various topics and another where they were encouraged to practice their writing skills by keeping a journal. The students were assessed using one evaluation test, a questionnaire and a final test. The questionnaire provided data for the students’ perceived change in fluency, accuracy, self-esteem and motivation. The written tests provided data for accuracy and fluency. The results in this study showed an overall increase in accuracy, fluency and self-confidence in the accuracy-based task, but that only the fluency-based task enhanced motivation.
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Dwyer, Edward J. "Fostering Reading Fluency in the School Library." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2007. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/3404.
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Chirchick, Rebecca Miriam. "After school intervention for English learners a pilot reading program targeting reading fluency and motivation /." Diss., Restricted to subscribing institutions, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1930906691&sid=6&Fmt=2&clientId=1564&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Koch, Kimberly Bonice. "Increasing fluency in struggling readers through newspaper reading." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2007. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3272.
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The focus on this study was on improving the oral reading fluency of third grade students who struggle in reading. One third grade teacher and six of her students participated in this 4 week study that examined the effect on fluency of newspaper reading and various constructive reading and engagement activites. These six students were assigned to an Optimal Learning Model pull-out fluency instruction using the newspaper as text. Results from the Developmental Reading Assessment instrument reveal significantly improved effects in the number if miscues, correct words per minute, and prosody for the six students. From the results, it is evident that struggling readers benefit from high-quality fluency instruction.
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McCollum, Jonathon C. "The Correlation of Arab ELLs' Academic Reading Fluency in Arabic and English." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2012. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3657.
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Educational and economic developments in the Persian Gulf have increased the need for academic English reading fluency in the rising generation of college-bound students. A discussion of the literature on the linguistic properties of Arabic diglossia and orthography affirms the challenge that Arabs confront in L1 literacy. Because of the difficulties encountered in Arabic literacy, the transfer of L1 skills to L2 emerges as a salient issue for English instruction in the Arab world. The following study of Arab ELLs' academic reading fluency in Arabic and English investigates a hypothesized positive correlation between L1 and L2 reading abilities. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained through the administration of academic reading fluency instruments in both Arabic and English and a survey of reading habits to a sample of 112 post-secondary Gulf Arab students in an English language program in Doha, Qatar. The analysis of the data reveals a correlation between Arabic and English reading fluency confirming previous research on transfer of reading skills between L1 and L2. The data further suggest the advisability of promoting reading fluency training in L1 as a facilitator of L2 fluency, especially in localities such as the Persian Gulf, where the professional environment requires young graduates to have fluency skills in both languages.
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Christensen, Carl V. "Fluency Features and Elicited Imitation as Oral Proficiency Measurement." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2012. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3114.
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The objective and automatic grading of oral language tests has been the subject of significant research in recent years. Several obstacles lie in the way of achieving this goal. Recent work has suggested a testing technique called elicited imitation (EI) can be used to accurately approximate global oral proficiency. This testing methodology, however, does not incorporate some fundamental aspects of language such as fluency. Other work has suggested another testing technique, simulated speech (SS), as a supplement to EI that can provide automated fluency metrics. In this work, I investigate a combination of fluency features extracted for SS testing and EI test scores to more accurately predict oral language proficiency. I also investigate the role of EI as an oral language test, and the optimal method of extracting fluency features from SS sound files. Results demonstrate the ability of EI and SS to more effectively predict hand-scored SS test item scores. I finally discuss implications of this work for future automated oral testing scenarios.
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Steele, Linda, Gina Podyin, and Edward J. Dwyer. "Fostering Reading Fluency in the School Library." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2010. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/3341.
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Erwin, P., J. Tester, Lori T. Meier, and Edward J. Dwyer. "Fostering Reading Fluency through Poetry and Bookmaking." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2009. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/3736.
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McGuire, Michael. "Formulaic sequences in English conversation: Improving spoken fluency in non-native speakers." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2009. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc11024/.
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Native speakers often ignore the limitless potential of language and stick to institutionalized formulaic sequences. These sequences are stored and processed as wholes, rather than as the individual words and grammatical rules which make them up. Due to research on formulaic sequence in spoken language, English as a Second Language / Foreign Language pedagogy has begun to follow suit. There has been a call for a shift from the traditional focus on isolated grammar and vocabulary to formulaic sequences and context. I tested this hypothesis with 19 L2 English learners who received 5 weeks of task-based instruction and found substantial progress in oral fluency only for the experimental group. Differences between pretest and posttest oral fluency were examined by looking at the learners' speech rate and their mean length of run. Subjective evaluation of fluency by 16 native English judges confirmed the calculated measures.
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Aaron, Rebecca. "The Influence of Online English Language Instruction on ESL Learners' Fluency Development." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2016. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6579.
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The number of students participating in online-based instruction has grown steadily over the past decade as improvements in Internet availability, speed, and bandwidth have enabled students from around the world to enroll in online courses rather than participate in onsite traditional college courses. Online courses have also provided educational opportunities for language learners that are more convenient and cost effective. With the growth occurring in online instruction, it is critical to ask about the effectiveness of online English language learning. Even though this type of instructional medium has been available for more than a decade, there has been little empirical research documenting the linguistic changes of English language learners as most research has focused on curriculum development or the structure of such courses (Moore and Kearsly, 2005 & Vai & Sosulski, 2011). Moreover, online language courses that have evaluated language development have focused on skills such as reading, writing, and listening (Blake, 2008). In order to investigate the benefits of English language courses taught completely online and the oral fluency gains that learners make within such a course, this study analyzed audio samples produced by intermediate level ESL students during the initial and final speaking tasks of the course. Instruction utilized asynchronous and synchronous interactions between the teacher, tutor, and fellow students. Results showed that fluency features for learners did change over the course of 14 weeks of instruction, and that learners valued the interaction that they had with tutors and faculty during the course.
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Coyle, Catherine. "An investigation of the fluency paradigm : the effects of accuracy training before rate-building and incremental increases in response rates on skill retention, endurance, stability, application and adduction." Murdoch University, 2005. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20070515.142051.
Full textAbstract:
Fluency has recently been operationalized in terms of the acquisition of performance
rates that predict a number of learning outcomes, depicted in the acronym RESAA,
which represents skill retention, endurance, stability, application and adduction
(Johnson & Layng, 1996). The RESAA model has not yet been adequately researched
under controlled, experimental conditions.
A preliminary study (Study 1) compared two rate-building procedures, under
experimental conditions, with five Year 2 children with a mean age of six years eight
months and seven pre-primary children with a mean age of four years seven months.
The effects of practice and reinforcement were controlled. Long-term follow-up
RESAA measures were conducted three months after the completion of the
intervention.
The major study in this research project (Study 2) is an empirical investigation
of the effects on RESAA measures of increasing the performance rates of a component
skill in reading to specific, incremental rate aims with twelve Year 2 children aged
between six years eight months and eight years one month who were categorized into
three levels of reading ability. Speeded practice was compared to slow-paced
constrained-rate practice. The effects of practice and reinforcement were controlled.
The utility of learning channel analysis for defining measures of application and
adduction, and for measuring adduction on two composite tasks involving
topographically dissimilar sensory and response dimensions was examined. Long-term
follow-up RESAA measures were conducted three months after the completion of the
intervention.
The results of Study 1 indicated a procedure in which accuracy and rate were
trained simultaneously was more efficient in increasing component skill rates and
produced higher rates on the RESAA measures than training accuracy to 100% in a
stage before rate-building commenced for the Year 2 children and two pre-primary
children. Training accuracy to 100% before rate-building was marginally more efficient
for five of the pre-primary children. Adduction was greater for a one learning-channel
cross than for a two learning-channel cross.
The results of Study 2 demonstrated that systematic increases in component skill
rates were produced by both the rate-building and constrained-rate procedures, although
higher rates were produced by the rate-building procedures for eleven of the twelve
children. Higher training rates of the component skills produced concurrently higher
rates on repeated RESAA measures during the intervention and on RESAA follow-up
measures. Adduction was greater for a two learning-channel cross than for a one
learning-channel cross. The level of reading ability of the children did not influence
training rates of the component skill but did affect performances on the RESAA
measures. Comparisons indicated that different training rates predicted different
RESAA outcomes for all of the children.
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Yeung, Kit-yu Kitty. "Factors contributing to English oral reading fluency in Chinese children learning English as a second language." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2008. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B41717016.
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Chan, Hang. "The effectiveness of teaching methods incorporating formulaic sequences for foreign language oral fluency." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2014. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.648794.
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Moran, Renee Rice, and Monica Billen. "Poetry: A Remedy in the Quest for Fluency." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2012. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/3590.
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Statovci, Besarta. "Caregiver language : a study of caregiver interaction and their impact on children's fluency." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för språk (SPR), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-70365.
Full textAbstract:
This paper aims to examine caregiver responses to children's utterances and how the caregiver's responding speech varies during the child's three critical years of language development. The methodology of this paper is a longitudinal study that focuses on how the caregiver uses the language during the child's first three and most important language-wise years. The data comprised three video recordings downloaded from the CHILDES database. The process of analyzing the caregiver's language was then based on Lieven's (1978) semantic categories. These results demonstrated the importance of the caregiver in L1 development.
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Russo, Gerard A. "A conceptual fluency framework for the teaching of Italian as a second language." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape16/PQDD_0015/NQ28048.pdf.
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Snellings, Patrick Janette Franciscus. "Fluency in second language writing the effects of enhanced speed of lexical retrieval /." [S.l. : Amsterdam : s.n.] ; Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host], 2003. http://dare.uva.nl/document/68665.
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Préfontaine, Yvonne Marie. "Fluency in French : a psycholinguistic study of second language speech production and perception." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.658086.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis presents the results of a mixed methods study examining L2 utterance and perceived fluency in French under three different task conditions, an area in which little empirical research has been conducted from a psycholinguistic perspective. It investigated the following speech production and perception issues: (1) automated utterance fluency measures and their relationship to perceived task difficulty, (2) participants' and raters' perceptions of fluency and their link to utterance fluency measures and task complexity, and (3) speech characteristics that most influenced judgments of fluent performance. The study took place in a French immersion context in a university setting in Quebec, Canada. Forty English-speaking adults, varying in proficiency level, responded to three narrative speech tasks differing in cognitive demand. Utterance fluency was operationalized by a set of six temporal variables and measured by automated speech analysis software. Perceived fluency was assessed quantitatively by participants' and raters' fluency ratings, and qualitatively by justifications of the speech characteristics which most influenced raters' impressions.
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Beattie, Tiffany. "Oral Reading Fluency and the Simple View of Reading for English Language Learners." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/23803.
Full textAbstract:
The Simple View of Reading is a well-known lens for understanding the skills that contribute to proficient reading. The Simple View explains reading comprehension as the product of decoding and listening comprehension. There is a gap in the literature regarding the applicability of the Simple View for Spanish-speaking English language learners, and also whether oral reading fluency would be valuable to include in the model as an intermediate variable. In the present study two groups of third grade students, one group comprised of students classified as English language learners and a comparison group of non-ELL students, were assessed on several reading skills. Data were collected on listening comprehension, decoding, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Data were analyzed using generalized least squares estimation for path analysis and partial invariance testing. Findings support the inclusion of oral reading fluency in the Simple View model, highlight the significance of listening comprehension, and suggest the Simple View model applies equally well across ELL and non-ELL groups. Limitations and future directions are addressed.
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Erwin, Patience, Julie Tester, Lori Meier, and Edward J. Dwyer. "Fostering Reading Fluency and Affective Dimension in the Classroom." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2009. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/3340.
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Andreason, Traci Tomi. "Improving Reading Fluency and Comprehension in Intermediate L2 Japanese Learners." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2015. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5480.
Full textAbstract:
This study explores the effects of different methods employed by language teachers, namely assisted repeated reading (Taguchi, Gorsuch, Takayasu-Maass, & Snipp, 2012) and morphological and syntactic explanation (Tong, Deacon, & Cain, 2013), to improve language learners' reading fluency and reading comprehension, respectively. Volunteers from students enrolled in Japanese 301 through 322 classes at Brigham Young University (BYU) participated in this study. The participants (a) submitted a background questionnaire and consent form, (b) attended a one-hour session in the testing lab, and (c) attended a second one-hour session in the testing lab. Each testing session consisted of the participants making a pre- and post- reading recording and taking reading comprehension tests for two separate reading scripts. Each participant submitted a total of eight reading recordings and eight sets of answers to five reading comprehension questions. The reading texts were chosen from 3-kyu (3rd level of 5, which was deemed to be intermediate by the researcher) of the Japanese Language Proficiency test (JLPT), with a minor modification. Each recording and answer sheet submission was then graded and recorded. The differences between the pre- and post-test scores were then examined to determine the effectiveness of each treatment employed. The treatments included were: (a) assisted repeated reading, (b) assisted repeated reading followed by morphological and syntactic explanation, (c) morphological and syntactic explanation, and (d) morphological and syntactic explanation followed by assisted repeated reading. The analysis of the resultant data revealed that although there was a statistically significant increase in scores for each of the methods and there were differences in the scores between the different methods, there was not a significant difference between the methods. However, one of the important implications that can be drawn from this study is that a short fluency-building exercise of 2-5 minutes can yield significant gains in the language learners, in both reading fluency and in reading comprehension.
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Kim, Jeongwoon. "Gains in Fluency Measures during Study Abroad in China." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2011. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3177.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis study investigates gains in the speaking of China study abroad (SA) students from Brigham Young University. Pre-and post-program Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) tasks were used to generate multiple fluency measures, such as native judges' subjective fluency ratings, word count, number of unique words, number of filler words, mean pause length, tonal accuracy, etc. The study results display significant differences between pre- and post-tests for all fluency measures. In other words, China SA students were perceived to be more fluent in their speech by native judges after SA; their speech samples show more word (token and type) production, and shorter pauses in post-SOPI tasks than in pre-SOPI tasks. Participants used more filler words and had more unfilled pauses in post-measures than in pre-measures and they enhanced their tonal accuracy during the SA. Native judges' perception of task completion was also measured and the students were more capable of completing speech tasks in the post-program measures than in the pre-program measures. The OPI ratings indicate that some students made as much as two sub levels' improvement on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scale.
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Williams, Cathy Harris Brabham Edna R. "Effect of independent reading on fourth graders' vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension." Auburn, Ala, 2008. http://repo.lib.auburn.edu/EtdRoot/2008/SPRING/Curriculum_and_Teaching/Dissertation/Williams_Cathy_38.pdf.
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Lok, Mai-chi Ian. "The study of "fluency" in English with reference to corpus linguistic data from Hong Kong and Great Britain /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2001. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk:8888/cgi-bin/hkuto%5Ftoc%5Fpdf?B23472698.
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Mazwi, Ntombomzi Rose-May. "Complexity accuracy and fluency in task-based instruction for Xhosa second language at tertiary level." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/51660.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explores a framework for the implementation of task-based instruction for Xhosa second language at tertiary level. Central to the task-based approach to second language learning are the goals of complexity, accuracy and fluency as outcomes. The principles of task-based instruction to syllabus design are examined as this approach to syllabus design is believed to provide an effective base for successful second language acquisition. Theoretical assumptions as propounded by vanous researchers are discussed paymg particular reference to the nature of second language learning and teaching pedagogy. Most linguists agree on the view that Universal Grammar is a constant background against which any language learning process takes place. Universal Grammar is also viewed as the faculty which influences second language acquisition. The study will explore the relationship between second language theory and pedagogy. The Communicative Language Teaching is advanced in this study as an appropriate method for teaching language. The task-based syllabus is discussed with reference to different syllabus types which exhibit tasks as a unit of analysis. The relationship between grammar pedagogy and taskbased methodology is illustrated. A range of communication tasks for Xhosa is presented as an example of a task-based course design and analysed according to a task typology to investigate the communicative value of each task type. Salient functions, notions and language structures are identified based on Xhosa communicative task dialogues. It is hoped that Xhosa second language teachers and researchers will pursue the approach that are advanced here and that they will be able to make a contribution to Xhosa second language course design. It is also hoped that this study has succeeded in dealing with aspects of Xhosa second language learning and that Xhosa teaching will benefit in a variety of respects.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie ondersoek 'n raamwerk vir die implementering van taakgebaseerde onderrig vir Xhosa tweedetaal op tersiêre vlak. Die doelstellings van kompleksiteit, akkuraatheid en vlotheid is sentraal aan die taakgebaseerde benadering tot tweedetaalleer. Die studie sal die beginsels van taakgebaseerde onderrig tot sillabusontwerp ondersoek aangesien hierdie benadering algemeen beskou word as 'n doeltreffende basis vir suksesvolle tweedetaalleer. Die studie sal voorts die teoretiese aannames bespreek wat deur verskillende navorsers gemaak is met betrekking tot die aard van tweedetaalleer en onderrigmetodologie. Die meeste taalkundiges is dit eens dat Universele Grammatika 'n konstante basis is waarop tweedetaalleer plaasvind. Universele Grammatika word beskou as die mentale fakulteit wat tweedetaalleer beïnvloed. Die studie salook die verwantskap tweedetaalteorie en onderrig bespreek. Die kommunikatiewe taalonderrigbenadering word aangevoer in die studie as die mees gepaste metode vir taalonderrig. Die taakgebaseerde sillabus sal bespreek word met verwysing na verskillende sillabustipes wat die taak as eenheid vir analise vertoon. Die verwantskap tussen grammatika-onderrig en taakgebaseerde metodologie sal geïllustreer word. 'n Verskeidenheid kommunikatiewe take in Xhosa sal bespreek word as 'n voorbeeld van eenhede in kommunikatiewe kursusontwerp, en die take sal geanaliseer word om die kommunikatiewe aard van elke taak te ondersoek. Prominente taalfunksies, -begrippe en taalstrukture sal geïdentifiseer word vanuit die Xhosa kommunikatiewe taak-dialoë. Die hoop word uitgespreek dat onderwysers en navorsers van Xhosa tweedetaal die benadering wat in hierdie studie ondersoek is verder salontgin, en dat hulle in staat sal wees om 'n bydrae te maak tot kommunikatiewe Die studie ondersoek 'n raamwerk vir die implementering van taakgebaseerde onderrig vir Xhosa tweedetaal op tersiêre vlak. Die doelstellings van kompleksiteit, akkuraatheid en vlotheid is sentraal aan die taakgebaseerde benadering tot tweedetaalleer. Die studie sal die beginsels van taakgebaseerde onderrig tot sillabusontwerp ondersoek aangesien hierdie benadering algemeen beskou word as 'n doeltreffende basis vir suksesvolle tweedetaalleer. Die studie sal voorts die teoretiese aannames bespreek wat deur verskillende navorsers gemaak is met betrekking tot die aard van tweedetaalleer en onderrigmetodologie. Die meeste taalkundiges is dit eens dat Universele Grammatika 'n konstante basis is waarop tweedetaalleer plaasvind. Universele Grammatika word beskou as die mentale fakulteit wat tweedetaalleer beïnvloed. Die studie salook die verwantskap tweedetaalteorie en onderrig bespreek. Die kommunikatiewe taalonderrigbenadering word aangevoer in die studie as die mees gepaste metode vir taalonderrig. Die taakgebaseerde sillabus sal bespreek word met verwysing na verskillende sillabustipes wat die taak as eenheid vir analise vertoon. Die verwantskap tussen grammatika-onderrig en taakgebaseerde metodologie sal geïllustreer word. 'n Verskeidenheid kommunikatiewe take in Xhosa sal bespreek word as 'n voorbeeld van eenhede in kommunikatiewe kursusontwerp, en die take sal geanaliseer word om die kommunikatiewe aard van elke taak te ondersoek. Prominente taalfunksies, -begrippe en taalstrukture sal geïdentifiseer word vanuit die Xhosa kommunikatiewe taak-dialoë. Die hoop word uitgespreek dat onderwysers en navorsers van Xhosa tweedetaal die benadering wat in hierdie studie ondersoek is verder salontgin, en dat hulle in staat sal wees om 'n bydrae te maak tot kommunikatiewe kursusontwerp. Die studie poog om ook aspekte van Xhosa tweedetaalleer te identifiseer wat die onderrig van Xhosa tot voordeel kan strek in verskillende opsigte.
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Ehara, Yoshiaki. "The Use of Grammar Proceduralization Strategies to Promote Oral Fluency." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2018. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/483686.
Full textAbstract:
Teaching & LearningEd.D.
This study investigates Japanese high school teachers’ learning of grammar proceduralization strategies designed to promote oral fluency. It is a multiple case study of six Japanese EFL teachers who learn to use their declarative knowledge of L2 grammar while engaging in tasks that enable them to compare their oral output with a native English speaker’s reformulations of it. Past studies of language learning strategies have been primarily focused either on the learners’ general study habits toward the target language or on their skill-specific language learning strategies in the areas of listening, reading, speaking, writing, and vocabulary. Although the effectiveness of these strategies on learning outcomes is known to be highly constrained by learners’ prior linguistic knowledge, strategies to proceduralize grammar, a core component of one’s linguistic knowledge, have not been well researched. Therefore, little is known about how learners’ volitional efforts contribute to the proceduralization of L2 grammar. Research into oral fluency development has provided evidence that the use of formulas promotes fluency, but it has not revealed how formulas and other varieties of multiword units contribute to different aspects of oral fluency; namely, temporal, repair, and perceived fluency. This study fills these gaps in research by defining, investigating, and creating a set of grammar proceduralization strategies as a promising construct that sheds light on what learners can proactively do to proceduralize their knowledge of L2 grammar. The three main purposes of this study are to (a) investigate Japanese EFL teachers’ grammar proceduralization strategies for appropriating, refining, and using their grammar knowledge, (b) identify L2 morphosyntactic forms and multiword units that facilitate Japanese EFL teachers’ oral production during oral summary and personal anecdote tasks, and (c) investigate the possible relationships between the participants’ L2 grammar proceduralization strategies, their use of specific grammar forms, and their oral fluency development. The participants are six Japanese teachers of English who teach at public senior high schools in Japan. To gain a detailed understanding of the participants’ complex learning processes, their learning trajectories were investigated for a period of six months, using a longitudinal mixed-methods design, with detailed analyses of their English learning history, post-task protocols, linguistic measures, and rubric-based assessment of their oral fluency development. The results provide (a) a typology of L2 grammar proceduralization strategies created based on models of communicative competence and speech production, (b) 16 categories of grammar items that have potential impact on oral fluency development, with insights into factors that facilitate and debilitate the participants’ use of these grammar items, and (c) insights into how the participants’ goal orientation leads to their orchestration of L2 grammar proceduralization strategies, their use of 16 categories of grammar items, and to the different trajectories of their temporal, repair, and perceived fluency development. This study presents data to support the conclusion that a reverse-saliency strategy to learn L2 grammar in concepts, propositions, and discourse is a key to effective EFL pedagogy.
Temple University--Theses
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McCormack, Andrina E. "Language fluency project : an investigation into the training and development of socialised language with adolescents with a mental handicap." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.258761.
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Wachtel, Donald J. "The effect of language reading fluency on music reading : note identification and musical performance /." Available to subscribers only, 2006. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1136090521&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Stroh, Evgenia Nikolayevna. "The Effect of Repeated Reading Aloud on the Speaking Fluency of Russian Language Learners." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2012. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3325.
Full textAbstract:
The current study examines the effect of repeated reading aloud upon speaking fluency. Because there is little evidence in the literature that the practice of repeated reading aloud can have a positive effect upon speaking fluency, the primary goal of this study was to investigate this relationship further. For the purposes of the study, speaking fluency was defined as fluidity and smoothness of speech with little pausing and hesitation. It is measured by evaluating the following fluency features: speech rate, number of pauses, length of pauses, phonation/time ratio, and articulation rate. The repeated measures experimental design of the study involved current and former Brigham Young University students learning Russian as a foreign language. They were divided into two groups: control and experimental. The participants in the experimental group performed repeated reading aloud activities daily, while those in the control group read the same passages silently. All participants took weekly speaking tests consisting of simple speaking prompts. The final post-test included both reading aloud and speaking tests. The speech samples collected from the tests were evaluated using computer-based analysis as well as scores from three raters who are native speakers of the Russian language. The statistical analysis and comparison of these scores revealed mixed results. The rater scores did not exhibit any statistically significant difference between the groups, which could be attributed to overall low inter-rater reliability and short duration of the experiment. On the other hand, the computer-generated scores for mean length of pauses, phonation/time ratio, and speech rate of the experimental group were better than those of the control group. This difference proved to be statistically significant based on the results of one-way and repeated measures ANOVA analyses. Unfortunately because of the high attrition rate and short duration of the study, these results cannot be generalized. Therefore further research is necessary to confirm or reject these findings
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Bowling, Christy Stewart. "The Effect of Two Reading Programs on First Grade Students' Reading Fluency." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/851.
Full textAbstract:
School districts struggle to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading in first grade. Nine percent of first grade students at the study site were not meeting state performance standards in the area of language arts. Specifically in the area of fluency, 38% of first grade students were not achieving AYP. Because of the close connection between oral fluency and early reading achievement, first grade students need to be more fluent to attain state standards. Based on LaBerge and Samuels theory of automaticity within reading fluency, the purpose of this study was to identify the impact of the Scholastic Guided Reading Program and Harcourt Trophies basal reading program on students reading fluency, as measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Oral Reading Fluency (DIBELS). Over eight months, the fluency levels of 129 first grade students were assessed three times. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant increase in the DIBELS gain scores between the pretest Fall Y2 Word Fluency (WF) scores in relation to the posttest Winter Y2 Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) scores for those students who received Scholastic Guided Reading instruction. Students who received Harcourt basal reading instruction gain scores showed a slight regression in fluency between the pretest Fall Y2 WF and the posttest Winter Y2 ORF. These results suggest that individual leveled reading instruction increases students' fluency skills. Improving reading fluency early is essential; students who become proficient readers have the ability to contribute and participatee in all areas of societal change.