Second language (L2) utterance fluency is crucial for speaking proficiency assessment. The measurement of L2 utterance fluency relies heavily on silent pause identification. However, empirical studies establishing specific silent pause thresholds for L2 monologic speaking are scarce, and even fewer exist for L2 dialogic speaking. This study thus…

English is especially challenging for English second language (ESL) learners because of its significant cultural and societal implications. For example, idioms--multiworded expressions with multiple meanings--are problematic for ESL learners because of ambiguity in literal translation and reliance on the societal context. This quantitative…

Current L2 utterance fluency literature tends to operationalize disfluency as isolated, individual features. However, disfluency features often co-occur at one location or across multiple locations in one utterance. This study explores the co-occurrence of L2 disfluency features in a speech corpus from 71 L1 and L2 speakers of English across…

This quasi-experimental study investigated the impacts of two instructional conditions on the fluency of learners' performance. In the first condition (strategy training), learners were provided with explicit fluency strategy training for a portion of each lesson before rehearsing versions of the speaking task for the remainder of the lesson. In…

The era of globalization and information and knowledge in which we find ourselves requires Higher Education to develop English-speaking proficiency in its students to adequately respond to academic and occupational challenges, taking advantage of the virtues of the variety of resources offered by technology. YouGlish is an online oral dictionary…

This article reports on an empirical study on cognitive processes [i.e. (dis) fluency, temporal management of the translation process, and revision] and their relationship with fluency and adequacy. Based on Jakobsen and Schou's (1999) computational model of human translation, the author utilizes keylogging data retrieved from a Translog-II-based…

This research was conducted to investigate AI integration in the development and evaluation of English oral communication skills, within both academic and professional practices. This study used a mixed-methods design, combining data from a quasi-experiment with qualitative data collected through interviews with students and instructors. Results…

This study aimed to investigate whether and how willingness to communicate, communication in English anxiety, behavioural inhibition and action predict perceived second language (L2) fluency. The study also looked at whether L2 proficiency moderates the strength of relationships between these affective factors and L2 perceived fluency. One hundred…

Automatic Speech Scoring (ASS) has increasingly become a useful tool in oral proficiency testing for Second Language (L2) learners. However, limited studies investigate the alignment of ASS indices with the Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency (CAF)--the three dimensions in evaluating L2 speakers' oral proficiency, and the subsequent impact indices…

The purpose of the present study was to examine: (1) the effects of audio-visual information; and (2) the role of temporal measurements associated with the perceptual ratings of fluency, accentedness, comprehensibility, pronunciation, and oral proficiency in second language (L2) speech samples of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs). American…

Amid globalization, the demand for English oral proficiency continues to grow. This study employs a quasi-experimental design to investigate the integration of an AI chatbot into the mobile-assisted blended learning (MABL) framework. It examines the impact of this approach on the spoken English abilities of Chinese non-English major university…

Although several researchers have demonstrated that foreign language (FL) learning experience has a limited effect on the short-term development of second language (L2) fluency, recent studies have suggested that learners can gain long-term (over one year) benefits from FL learning experiences. As a part of the present study, 50 Japanese…

The current study used a drama technique to teach a speaking course to second-level English Department students. The primary goal of language learning is to be able to communicate effectively in the target language with excellent self-confidence. The research was conducted using an action research methodology within a qualitative research…

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of an AR application (Civilisations AR) on EFL learners' oral proficiency in the dimensions of content, fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar, as well as their attitudes and perceptions toward AR technology. Design: Utilizing a quasi-experiment, twenty-four EFL learners engaged in a…

The current study examined the extent to which first language (L1) utterance fluency measures can predict second language (L2) fluency and how L2 proficiency moderates the relationship between L1 and L2 fluency. A total of 104 Japanese-speaking learners of English completed different argumentative speech tasks in their L1 and L2. Their speaking…