Effects of the four-skills integrated teaching approachon L2 speaking fluency

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the effects of the fourskills integrated teaching approach on oral fluency in a Japanese university EFL context.Learners were instructed to read a newspaper article, then watch a TV news story that covers the same theme, answer fill-in-the-blanks comprehension questions, write a summary, work on dictogloss, and discuss their reactions with partners. This teaching approach includes such fluency-enhancing elements as repetition, recycling and deep processing of vocabulary (i.e., using words in multiple contexts), time on task, and automatization. Participants were third-year English communication majors. Classes met once a week for the academic year. Quantitative data were collected from tests administered at the beginning and at the end of the year. L2 speaking fluency was measured using a news story-retelling test that assessed rate of speech. Results showed that L2 speaking fluency improved as measured by the test, thus lending support to the employment of the four-skills integrated teaching approach.