Publication Date

2019

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Faretta-Stutenberg, Mandy

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of World Languages and Cultures

Abstract

Students in university second-language programs expect to reach a certain level of oral proficiency by the time they complete their language requirements. Language Testing International (LTI) conducted extensive research to establish timelines regarding the number of hours of instruction required for native English speakers to reach specific proficiency levels in various second languages. Important to note, is that the learners used to establish these timelines differ from typical university students in that they are trained in the second language in very small classes in an intensive (near immersive) environment. Therefore, a comparison of LTI data with learners from typical university classrooms is needed to understand how these timelines can be applied to university second language programs.

This study examined university-level language learners completing their first year of study of the target language (Spanish). In order to assess each students’ language level according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Speaking Guidelines, students completed two different measures of oral proficiency: an elicited imitation task (EIT) and the Simulated oral proficiency interview (SOPI). The results indicated that native speakers of English studying a Category I language, such as Spanish, can be expected to reach a Novice-Mid level of oral proficiency. These results are an important step in establishing oral proficiency guidelines for learners at the university level.

Extent

67 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS