Investigating the Impact of Dictation Post-Tasks on Production: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Developing fluency in an EFL environment is challenging as learning opportunities can be restricted to the language classroom. This is exacerbated in countries such as Japan, where there is a history of treating English as an object of study (Hagerman, 2009). Therefore, investigating tasks that might provide learners with effective opportunities to develop productive fluency is important in this context. This paper investigated the effect of an impromptu speech task and dictation/modification post-task on students’ spoken fluency. Students in six intact classes (N = 139) were assigned to dictate either their own or a peer’s 1-minute impromptu speech each week over a period of eight weeks. The first and last speeches were taken as pre- and post-tests to examine changes in fluency. While students under the self-condition improved their fluency, additional research using larger groups and stricter group controls is necessary to understand more nuanced differences between these tasks.