This study examines influences of individual differences on oral proficiency measured by the CAFL framework. The data set consists of 168 speaking performances of 24 advanced-level learners of Korean as a foreign language (KFL) during task-based activities in two intact classes.
This study examines influences of individual differences on oral proficiency measured by the CAF framework. The data set consists of 168 speaking performances of 24 advanced-level learners of Korean as a foreign language (KFL) during task-based activities in two intact classes. All participants have been placed into their course after taking the Korean placement test or after taking the prerequisite course. They display a wide array of individual differences including motivation, anxiety level, linguistic proficiency, and the amount of exposure to natural language use. An increasing number of studies on teaching and learning less-commonly-taught languages (LCTLs) recognize a conspicuous lack of understanding of and pedagogical interventions for such learners, whose proficiency and attainment levels are typically affected by individual differences to a greater extent, compared with commonly-taught language learners. In this context, TBLT is suggested as an effective instructional approach, especially in an advanced-level class where spoken proficiency gaps among learners are widening. This study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) Do individual factors predict linguistic complexity, accuracy, and fluency of KFL learners? (2) If so, to what extent do linguistic complexity, accuracy, and fluency predict overall oral proficiency of KFL learners? In analyzing the data, linguistic complexity, accuracy and fluency are operationalized by lexical and syntactic complexity, lexical and syntactic accuracy, and fluency (Revesz et. al., 2016): (1) lexical complexity is measured by frequency, density and diversity; (2) syntactic complexity by the number of words divided by the number of clauses; (3) lexical accuracy by errors with semantic resemblance, omittance/replacement, and collocation; (4) syntactic accuracy by grammatical errors (e.g., Korean-specific grammar such as tense-aspect forms, types of clauses, and modality expressed by sentence-endings); and (5) fluency using Skehan's (2003) indices of breakdown, speed, and repair. Finally, overall proficiency level is assessed by trained ACTFL OPI testers.
