Production of routines in L2 English: Effect of proficiency and study-abroad experience

This preliminary study examined the effect of proficiency and study abroad experience on L2 learners' ability to produce routines. Participants were 64 Japanese students in an English-medium university in Japan. They were divided into three groups: Group 1 had lower proficiency with no study abroad experience, Group 2 had higher proficiency but no study abroad experience, and Group 3 had higher proficiency with study abroad experience. They completed an oral discourse completion test involving four situations that elicited routines. Participants' performance was evaluated based on three aspects: appropriateness (rated by native speakers), planning time, and speech rate. Results revealed a significant effect of proficiency combined with study abroad experience on all three aspects. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.