Processes leading to fostering fluency in English as a foreign language (EFL) in a university context

Abstract

This action research describes a two-part intervention aimed at fostering spoken fluency in a chosen teaching environment. These parts were based on theoretical-practical and authentic material, and made use of form-focused instruction and peer revisions. The success rate of the intervention was measured using qualitative and quantitative data to assess the teaching environment, as well as the quality of the materials and methods used in both interventions. Quantitative data were analyzed to find a correlation between fluency and characteristics of continuous speech, as well as to measure improvement in participants’ performance. These data were triangulated with the perception of native speakers of such performance. The intervention proved effective as participants achieved greater competence in accessing functions of continuous speech. Correlation results failed to demonstrate the relationship between characteristics of continuous speech and fluency, according to the perception of surveyed native speakers. This reveals the need for further research in the area.