Selected articles by Pauliina Peltonen
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2014
This study investigated the interplay between language anxiety of
advanced foreign language learn... more This study investigated the interplay between language anxiety of
advanced foreign language learners and their speech fluency measured
with temporal indices. Language anxiety levels of 59 university level
students of English were identified with the Input, Processing and Output
Anxiety Scale (the IPOAS; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and the Post-Session Survey on Anxiety. The former informed about the levels of anxiety experienced at three stages of linguistic processing, hence, input anxiety, internal processing anxiety, and output anxiety. The latter was applied to identify language anxiety levels exhibited during a monologue production, reported as task-specific language anxiety. Speech samples from the performance were analyzed for fluency breakdown (the number of filled and silent pauses), speed of speech (articulation rate), and composite measures (speech rate). The findings revealed that the advanced foreign language learners with higher levels of internal processing anxiety and output anxiety used filled pauses more frequently. Furthermore, the levels of output anxiety and task-specific language anxiety were inversely related to speech and articulation rate. The study also showed statistically significant differences in the production of filled pauses and speech rate between advanced foreign language learners with low and high levels of language anxiety as measured by the IPOAS.
Nordand, 17, 48–63., 2022
The present study provides a multilingual perspective on speech fluency by examining fluency acro... more The present study provides a multilingual perspective on speech fluency by examining fluency across first language (L1), second language (L2), and third language (L3) productions in Finnish, Swedish and English among L1 Finnish (Group 1, G1) and Finnish-Swedish bilingual (Group 2, G2) university students in Finland. The two research questions focused on differences in speech fluency across the three languages between the groups and correlations across speech fluency measures in the different languages. 90 speech samples in Finnish (L1), Swedish (L1/L3), and English (L2) from 30 participants were analyzed in the present study. The speech samples consist of short picture narrations based on comic strip prompts. The fluency analyses focused on temporal fluency and stalling mechanisms. The data were analyzed quantitatively with Mann-Whitney Utests and Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficients. The results demonstrated minor differences between the groups in their Finnish (L1) and English (L2) productions, but a higher level of fluency in Swedish for G2 (their L1) than G1 (their L3). For G1, the correlations were strongest between their L1 Finnish and L2 English, whereas for G2, mostly moderate to strong correlations were found between the different language pairs. The results suggest connections in fluency across the languages in a multilingual speaker's repertoire, but the strength of the correlations varies depending on the participants' L1(s) and proficiency level in the additional languages. Based on the findings, further research on fluency among multilingual speakers is needed. The results have implications for L2 teaching and assessment.
AFinLA Theme, 2024
Studies on listeners’ perceptions of speech fluency have typically focused on numeric L2 fluency ... more Studies on listeners’ perceptions of speech fluency have typically focused on numeric L2 fluency assessments and rarely addressed individual differences in L1 speech fluency qualitatively. The objective of the present study was to examine how listeners attend to speakers’ L1 speech when assessing the speakers’ L2 and L3 fluency. In the study, 37 listeners were presented with freely produced L1 Finnish, L2 English (Experiment I), and L3 Swedish (Experiment II) speech by Finnish-speaking and Finnish–Swedish bilingual speakers (N=30). The listeners first listened to the speakers’ L1 Finnish speech before assessing their target language fluency and then commented on how hearing the L1 speech samples affected their ratings. A qualitative analysis focusing on the listeners’ comments revealed that listeners attend to both temporal and non-fluency related features in L1 speech when assessing target language fluency, but there were clear individual differences across listeners’ intuitive approaches to L1 speech.
Nordand, 2022
The present study provides a multilingual perspective on speech fluency by examining fluency acro... more The present study provides a multilingual perspective on speech fluency by examining fluency across first language (L1), second language (L2), and third language (L3) productions in Finnish, Swedish, and English among L1 Finnish (Group 1, G1) and Finnish–Swedish bilingual (Group 2, G2) university students in Finland. The two research questions focused on differences in speech fluency across the three languages between the groups and correlations across speech fluency measures in the different languages. Ninety speech samples in Finnish (L1), Swedish (L1/L3), and English (L2) from 30 participants were analyzed in the present study. The speech samples consist of short picture narrations based on comic strip prompts. The fluency analyses focused on temporal fluency and stalling mechanisms. The data were analyzed quantitatively with Mann-Whitney U-tests and Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficients. The results demonstrated minor differences between the groups in their Finnish (L1) and English (L2) productions, but a higher level of fluency in Swedish for G2 (their L1) than G1 (their L3). For G1, the correlations were strongest between their L1 Finnish and L2 English, whereas for G2, mostly moderate to strong correlations were found between the different language pairs. The results suggest connections in fluency across the languages in a multilingual speaker’s repertoire, but the strength of the correlations varies depending on the participants’ L1(s) and proficiency level in the additional languages. Based on the findings, further research on fluency among multilingual speakers is needed. The results have implications for L2 teaching and assessment.
Sujuvaa vai sujumatonta? Puheen ja kielen sujuvuutta tutkimassa, 2022
This review in Finnish discusses speech fluency in second language research. We emphasize the nee... more This review in Finnish discusses speech fluency in second language research. We emphasize the need for multidisciplinary research, both quantitative and qualitative analyses, and comparing multilingual samples from the same speakers. Published in book: Sujuvaa vai sujumatonta? Puheen ja kielen sujuvuutta tutkimassa
International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 2021
This article examines the connections between ratings and measures of second language (L2) fluenc... more This article examines the connections between ratings and measures of second language (L2) fluency based on dialogue data, extending previous studies on L2 individual fluency. The links between fluency and strategic competence are studied from a problem-solving perspective. Fifteen raters’ assessments and comments of individual fluency, interactional fluency, and strategic competence based on six samples of L2 peer interaction were examined. Fluency measures corresponded to the rated dimensions. In a mixed-methods analysis, correlational analyses across the ratings and between the ratings and fluency measures were performed. The raters’ comments were analyzed qualitatively. The results demonstrated correlations between the ratings and measures of fluency for individual and interactional fluency, but not for strategic competence. The mean length of turn pauses correlated strongly with interactional fluency ratings. The raters’ comments revealed a multifaceted conceptualization of int...
The Modern Language Journal, 2018
Many factors influencing second language (L2) speech fluency have been widely studied, but the ef... more Many factors influencing second language (L2) speech fluency have been widely studied, but the effects of first language (L1) fluency on L2 speech fluency are still relatively poorly understood. In contrast to mostly quantitative previous studies, the present study adopted a mixed methods approach to examining the connections between L1 fluency and L2 fluency. Monologue speech samples in L1 and L2 were obtained from 42 Finnish learners of English at 2 school levels (9th grade and upper secondary school). The samples were examined for 13 measures capturing different aspects of fluency: temporal fluency, including speed and pausing, and stalling mechanisms. The results indicated positive correlations between the majority of temporal L1 and L2 fluency measures. Regression analyses further demonstrated that most temporal L2 fluency measures could be predicted from L1 fluency measures to a certain extent, although the predictive power varied across the measures. Regarding stalling mechanisms, a complementary qualitative analysis provided insights to idiosyncratic patterns in their use in L1 and L2. Together, the findings suggest that L1 fluency is an important factor in explaining L2 fluency and should be more widely acknowledged in L2 fluency research, assessment, and teaching.
AFinLA-e: Soveltavan kielitieteen tutkimuksia 10. Näkökulmia toisen kielen puheeseen – Insights into Second Language Speech., 2017
Second language (L2) speech fluency has usually been studied from an individual’s perspective wit... more Second language (L2) speech fluency has usually been studied from an individual’s perspective with monologue speech samples, whereas fluency studies examining dialogue data, especially with focus on collaborative practices, have been rare. In the present study, the aim was to examine how participants maintain fluency collaboratively. Four Finnish upper secondary school students of English completed a problem-solving task in pairs, and their spoken interactions were analyzed qualitatively with focus on collaborative completions and other-repetions. The findings demonstrated that collaborative completions and other-repetitions contribute to interactional fluency by creating cohesion to the interaction. Collaborative completions were also used to help the interlocutor to overcome temporary (individual) disfluent phases. Overall, the findings suggest that individual and interactional fluency are intertwined in spoken interaction, which should be acknowledged in theoretical approaches to L2 fluency and in empirical studies examining L2 fluency in interactional contexts.
System, 2017
Second language (L2) speech fluency has mostly been studied from monologues with temporal measure... more Second language (L2) speech fluency has mostly been studied from monologues with temporal measures. In the present study, dialogue data are examined with a new framework that links (temporal) fluency analysis to a broader problem-solving perspective, offering a unique approach to examining the resources learners have for maintaining fluent speech despite problems. Dialogues based on a pairwise problem-solving task from 42 Finnish learners of English at two school levels were analyzed quantitatively for temporal fluency, dialogue fluency, stalling mechanisms, and communication strategies (CSs). A complementary qualitative analysis of selected productions was also conducted. The results indicate that temporal and dialogue fluency measures differentiate learners at different school levels, but the relationship between CSs and fluency is complex. While correlations between mid-clause pauses and certain strategies were found, the qualitative analysis indicated that stalling mechanisms and CSs can compensate for local dysfluencies and even contribute to temporal fluency. The results highlight the importance of combining quantitative and qualitative analysis in L2 fluency studies. Conceptually, L2 speech fluency should include collaborative aspects (dialogue fluency) in addition to individual, temporal fluency, and cover resources for maintaining fluency.
Contemporary L2 fluency studies are predominantly quantitative examinations that focus on broad, ... more Contemporary L2 fluency studies are predominantly quantitative examinations that focus on broad, group level differences in fluency. In this study, 20 Finnish-speaking and 20 Swedish-speaking learners from two school levels (upper secondary school and university) were studied for their fluency in L2 English. A control group consisted of ten native speakers of English. The quantitative analysis was complemented with a qualitative examination of six subjects’ productions to explore also individual differences in fluency. The results suggest that a quantitative examination is suitable for speed and silent pause measures, which differentiated the groups clearly. However, differences in the use of filled pauses and repair phenomena could only be revealed with a qualitative analysis. A quantitative analysis should therefore be complemented with a qualitative examination to form a comprehensive picture of L2 fluency, including individual resources for achieving fluent speech.
Books by Pauliina Peltonen
This book brings together theoretical and empirical approaches to second language (L2) fluency an... more This book brings together theoretical and empirical approaches to second language (L2) fluency and provides a state-of-the-art overview of current approaches to the topic. The strength of the volume lies in its interdisciplinary approach: the chapters approach fluency from non-traditional starting points and go beyond disciplinary boundaries in their contributions. The volume includes chapters approaching fluency from L2 perspective and integrates perspectives from related fields, such as psycholinguistics, sign language studies and L2 assessment. The book extends the common foci and approaches of fluency studies and offers new perspectives that enable readers to evaluate critically existing paradigms and models. This encourages developing more comprehensive frameworks and directs future L2 fluency research into new areas of L2 learning and use.
Book chapters by Pauliina Peltonen
AFinLAn vuosikirja, 2020
Grasz, S., T. Keisanen, F. Olo , M. Rauniomaa, I. Rautiainen & M. Siromaa (toim.) 2020. Menetelmä... more Grasz, S., T. Keisanen, F. Olo , M. Rauniomaa, I. Rautiainen & M. Siromaa (toim.) 2020. Menetelmällisiä käänteitä soveltavassa kielentutkimuksessa-Methodological Turns in Applied Language Studies. AFin-LAn vuosikirja 2020. Suomen soveltavan kielitieteen yhdistyksen julkaisuja n:o 78. Jyväskylä. s. 174-197. Pekka Lintunen, Maarit Mutta & Pauliina Peltonen Turun yliopisto Sujuvuustutkimuksen käänteitä: katsaus sujuvuustutkimuksen menetelmiin Fluency is a multifaceted concept used in language teaching and language learning research. Fluency is often approached as cognitive, utterance or perceived uency. This review article focuses on Finnish uency studies in which uency has been examined with explicitly de ned measures or criteria in a speci c language skill. Our goal was to investigate what kinds of methods have been used and which subskills have been studied from the perspective of uency. We also aimed to identify potential gaps in uency research. According to our review, Finnish studies on L2 uency have mostly focused on productive language skills (speaking and writing), while L1 uency research has mostly focused on reading (dyslexia). Listening uency has not been studied explicitly. The reviewed studies concerned various languages, populations and employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. We conclude that more research is needed on receptive skills, especially listening, multimodal uency and uency in new learning environments.
Fluency in L2 Learning and Use, 2020
Fluency in L2 Learning and Use, 2020
Fluency in L2 Learning and Use, 2020
Fluency in L2 Learning and Use, 2020
AFinLA-e: soveltavan kielitieteen tutkimuksia, 2014
AFinLA’s autumn symposium was held at the University of Turku in 2013. The purpose of this articl... more AFinLA’s autumn symposium was held at the University of Turku in 2013. The purpose of this article is twofold: to focus on the status of applied linguistics at the host department, School of Languages and Translation Studies, and to briefly introduce the articles included in this publication. The objective of this introductory article is to examine how applied linguistics is involved in the teaching and research profiles of the University of Turku. On the one hand, the article presents challenges and solutions in educating future language users. The role and importance of applied linguistics seems to be more central than ever before in university curricula. On the other hand, we introduce the research profile and areas of strength of the School of Languages and Translation Studies and examine the role of applied linguistics. Finally, we introduce the research articles in this publication and briefly discuss how they represent different areas of applied linguistics.
AFinLAn vuosikirja 72: Tulevaisuuden kielnkäyttäjä - Language Users of Tomorrow, 2014
In 2013, AFinLA’s annual autumn symposium was held in Turku. The theme of the symposium was Langu... more In 2013, AFinLA’s annual autumn symposium was held in Turku. The theme of the symposium was Language users of tomorrow. During the symposium, the theme was approached from many perspectives. This article focuses on the general theme of the symposium and introduces the articles included in this publication. We discuss language users of tomorrow from three perspectives: immigrants and language, multilingualism and new communication technologies with respect to second language learning. For instance, multilingual immigrants are a potential resource for Finnish society at large. It is also important to consider new technologies and digital environments, which have challenged traditional approaches to language skills: which skills are needed to read and write? As language users of tomorrow may also need to master formal languages, more research is needed on the teaching and learning of formal programming languages.
Mompean, J. A. & Fouz González, J. (Eds.) (2015) Investigating English Pronunciation: Trends and Directions. Basingstoke, UK and New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Fluency is an important part of L2 oral proficiency, and it is often mentioned in curricular goal... more Fluency is an important part of L2 oral proficiency, and it is often mentioned in curricular goals or used in learner assessment. As a concept, however, fluency can be defined in various ways. In the field of phonetics, fluency is achieved through an adequate use of suprasegmental features or prosody. This study focused on L1 Finnish learners’ fluency in L2 English. The subjects (n=30) represented three proficiency levels, and their performance was compared to a native speaker control group (n=10) in a comic narrative task. The analysis used tone units as the base unit and focused on the syntactic length and structure of the units. The analysis was based on 1547 tone units. According to the results, the learner groups were approaching the native speaker fluency level as their overall proficiency increased. The development was clearest when measuring the number of words and syllables per tone unit. In addition, the tone units became longer in duration from one proficiency level to the next. The fluency and overall proficiency level of the language learner was also reflected in the structural properties of tone units: less advanced learners often produced single syllables or words as separate tone units, whereas more advanced learners produced clauses as tone units. The study suggests that the tone unit can be used as a base unit in measuring L2 fluency development.
Conference proceedings by Pauliina Peltonen
In second language (L2) fluency research, (dis)fluencies are often examined from monologue speech... more In second language (L2) fluency research, (dis)fluencies are often examined from monologue speech without reference to the speakers' visual-gestural behavior or first language (L1) data. However, research on L1 and L2 gestures has revealed an intricate relationship between gestures and (dis)fluency, underscoring the need for more research on the topic. Extending these two lines of research, this pilot study examines the interplay between speech fluency and gesture in L1 Finnish and L2 English task-based interactions (N = 8). The data were collected as part of a larger project. The fluency-related features (fluencemes) examined in the present study included silent and filled pauses, prolongations, and four repair features. The functional gesture types included referential (deictic and representational) and pragmatic (discursive, interactive, and thinking) gestures. The gestures were also coded for the degree of overlap (full, partial, or no overlap) with fluencemes. Our results showed that the gestures and fluencemes were more frequently produced in the L2 than in the L1, but the distributions of gesture and fluenceme types were relatively similar across L1 and L2 interactions. The majority of gestures did not overlap with fluencemes, corroborating previous findings. The findings have implications for L2 speech fluency and gesture research.
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Selected articles by Pauliina Peltonen
advanced foreign language learners and their speech fluency measured
with temporal indices. Language anxiety levels of 59 university level
students of English were identified with the Input, Processing and Output
Anxiety Scale (the IPOAS; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and the Post-Session Survey on Anxiety. The former informed about the levels of anxiety experienced at three stages of linguistic processing, hence, input anxiety, internal processing anxiety, and output anxiety. The latter was applied to identify language anxiety levels exhibited during a monologue production, reported as task-specific language anxiety. Speech samples from the performance were analyzed for fluency breakdown (the number of filled and silent pauses), speed of speech (articulation rate), and composite measures (speech rate). The findings revealed that the advanced foreign language learners with higher levels of internal processing anxiety and output anxiety used filled pauses more frequently. Furthermore, the levels of output anxiety and task-specific language anxiety were inversely related to speech and articulation rate. The study also showed statistically significant differences in the production of filled pauses and speech rate between advanced foreign language learners with low and high levels of language anxiety as measured by the IPOAS.
Books by Pauliina Peltonen
Book chapters by Pauliina Peltonen
Conference proceedings by Pauliina Peltonen
advanced foreign language learners and their speech fluency measured
with temporal indices. Language anxiety levels of 59 university level
students of English were identified with the Input, Processing and Output
Anxiety Scale (the IPOAS; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and the Post-Session Survey on Anxiety. The former informed about the levels of anxiety experienced at three stages of linguistic processing, hence, input anxiety, internal processing anxiety, and output anxiety. The latter was applied to identify language anxiety levels exhibited during a monologue production, reported as task-specific language anxiety. Speech samples from the performance were analyzed for fluency breakdown (the number of filled and silent pauses), speed of speech (articulation rate), and composite measures (speech rate). The findings revealed that the advanced foreign language learners with higher levels of internal processing anxiety and output anxiety used filled pauses more frequently. Furthermore, the levels of output anxiety and task-specific language anxiety were inversely related to speech and articulation rate. The study also showed statistically significant differences in the production of filled pauses and speech rate between advanced foreign language learners with low and high levels of language anxiety as measured by the IPOAS.
The type and source of feedback may vary depending on the context. Most earlier studies suggest that corrective feedback facilitates learning
in general, but there are few studies that focus especially on the effectiveness of corrective pronunciation feedback.
This study focused on advanced learners of English and on their opinions and preferences regarding pronunciation feedback. We asked a group of participants (N=46) to respond to Likert-scale statements on
pronunciation feedback. Our results suggest that pronunciation feedback is found very useful and teacher feedback is preferred. Opinions towards peer feedback are more varied but mostly positive.
The variation in general attitudes and emotions towards pronunciation feedback is possibly due to individual learner characteristics. The
results also suggest that providing feedback is a skill that should
be practised during teacher education to increase prospective
teachers’ confidence and competence in providing feedback.
http://www.lali-project.eu/finnish/#focusfi
In post-industrial societies, employment and social inclusion crucially depend on the acquisition of basic and soft skills, including home and/or local language literacy, intercultural communication and social abilities. Research shows that less qualified and less skilled adults are economically and socially marginalised; they hold low-wage jobs while their low literacy competence contributes to low self-esteem, and at a macro-economic level, a high percentage of people with low literacy levels reduces the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]/Statistics Canada, 2000). For instance, a 2011 survey in France showed that only 7.7% of adults aged 16–65 attained the highest levels of literacy compared with the average of 11.8% in other participating OECD countries (OECD, 2011). Furthermore, the percentage of adults with the lowest literacy scores is higher in France (21.6%) than in other OECD countries, with an average of 15.5% (OECD, 2011). Therefore, the development of new pedagogical tools aiming at promoting basic and soft skills amongst less qualified adults and instructing migrants in the host country’s language and culture are crucial at both individual (personal growth) and social levels (a fairer and more equal society).
The Language and literacy learning through art (LALI) project embeds language and literacy learning in cultural education by articulating tasks in museums and classrooms. Thus, in addition to classrooms, learning is transferred into a real-world environment, specifically, to a museum that creates stimulating conditions for peer learning. Art (i.e., a central component of culture) therefore becomes a vital resource for fostering social and linguistic integration. This manual is part of the set of different products and kits for professionals that is available through an online resource centre created by LALI (http://www.lali-project.eu/materials/). Additionally, LALI has developed a mobile application called Art App to support and reinforce the learning that occurs in museums. Specifically, the Art App helps teachers prepare the in situ tasks, facilitates language and literacy retention and practice, as well as creates an opportunity for the participants to practise their digital skills. LALI also offers teachers a video-based assessment tool and a toolkit that allow them to improve their pedagogical skills and to evaluate and adapt their approaches and methods to the participants’ specificities between workshops. The video recordings help the teachers to continuously adjust their teaching, allowing them to optimise communication with the participants during the project. The video recordings of the museum workshops and watching the episodes selected by the teachers will help the participants to improve their performance and enhance their basic foreign language and culture vocabulary. This approach also permits individualised follow-ups and the creation of individual learning paths (Eloranta & Jalkanen, 2015).
This manual provides the theoretical background and the curriculum of the LALI approach. The LALI members who have collaborated on this manual hope that the readers find it inspiring and that it will contribute to facilitating beginning learners’ integration to society.
The Language and literacy learning through art (LALI) project embeds language and literacy learning in cultu- ral education by articulating tasks in museums and clas- srooms. Thus, in addition to classrooms, learning is transferred into a real-world environment, specifically, to a museum that creates stimulating conditions for peer learning. Art (i.e., a central component of culture) therefore becomes a vital resource for fostering social and linguistic integration. This manual is part of the set of di erent products and kits for professionals that is available through an online resource centre created by LALI (http://www.lali-project.eu/ ). Additionally, LALI
has developed a mobile application called Art App to support and reinforce the learning that occurs in muse- ums. Specifically, the Art App helps teachers prepare the in situ tasks, facilitates language and literacy retention and practice, as well as creates an opportunity for the participants to practise their digital skills. LALI also o ers teachers1 a video-based assessment tool and a toolkit that allow them to improve their pedagogical skills and to evaluate and adapt their approaches and methods to the participants’ specificities between workshops. The video recordings help the teachers to continuously adjust their teaching, allowing them to optimise communication with the participants during the project. The video recordings of the museum work- shops and watching the episodes selected by the tea- chers will help the participants to improve their perfor- mance and enhance their basic foreign language and culture vocabulary. This approach also permits indivi- dualised follow-ups and the creation of individual lear- ning paths (Eloranta & Jalkanen, 2015).
This manual provides the theoretical background and the curriculum of the LALI approach. The LALI members who have collaborated on this manual hope that the readers find it inspiring and that it will contribute to facilitating beginning learners’ integration to society.
The innovative component of our approach is a hybrid methodology which uses visual resources, systematically chosen from art history, in language/literacy learning. In this resource book, you will find a corpus of activities to be used in museum settings and/or in classrooms to prepare museum visits. The artworks provide excellent means to initiate discussions and/or interactions at different levels between the participants, based around the artworks themselves and the different cultural heritages of the host country and their home countries.
We proudly announce that our edited volume Fluency in L2 Learning and Use has now been published! The volume has been on our minds for a few years, and it is now very exciting to see it in its final form. The idea for the volume came from our shared interests in second language fluency.