Abstract/Summary

The study reported in this paper was aimed at investigating whether making the findings of second language fluency research accessible to language teachers has an impact on their self-reported understanding of the concept of oral fluency, confidence in promoting it, and classroom practice in short and medium term. The data come from 106 initial and 32 delayed questionnaires and nine interviews, eliciting both qualitative and quantitative data, from second language teachers in England after attending a one-day research-informed and practice-oriented training workshop. The results indicate a positive impact on teachers’ understanding of fluency, confidence in helping their learners, and self-reported practice in short term, with the positive impact being reported in medium term (e.g., two to six months after the intervention). The findings confirm previous research (e.g., Lennon, 1990) that adopting a narrow perspective to defining and conceptualizing fluency is linked with a more in-depth understanding of fluency and enhanced confidence and ability for using fluency-focused classroom activities.