Earticle

This study examined the effects of input- and output-based planning on Korean college students’ communication strategy use and speaking anxiety. Two groups of 84 Korean female college students (n=168) have participated in the study, with one group performing reading activities, and the other performing writing activities prior to speaking tasks. The findings of the study indicate that the two groups did not show any meaningful differences in their overall communication strategy use. However, significant differences were found between the groups in light of social-affective strategies and meaning negotiation strategies. Particularly notable is that these strategies were utilized to a greater extent by the writing group, compared to its counterpart, i.e., the reading group. In contrast, the effects of different types of planning were found to be nonsignificant for speaking anxiety. In other words, both groups showed similar levels of speaking anxiety, regardless of planning conditions, although their anxiety decreased over time as a result of strategic planning. These findings bear meaningful implications for the role of strategy training for language learners and for the importance of creating optimal conditions to maximize effectiveness of learning.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of input- and output-based planning (reading a sample passage vs. writing a draft) on the oral performance of L2 learners with low-proficiency. In this study, 16 Korean female junior college students of low English proficiency were divided into two different planning groups. The reading group was required to read a sample passage of the given topic, designed to encourage “noticing” and “focus on form” using input enhancement, while the writing group was asked to write a draft of their speech, using only their own L2 knowledge. After such planning activities, both groups recorded their assigned speaking tasks using Kakao Talk. Eight planning activities and oral performances were completed over the period of the semester. In order to compare the effects of input- and output-based planning on the improvement of overall proficiency, pre- and post-tests, in which the students produced the same narratives, were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Furthermore, this study explored any difference in speaking performance after each type of planning and what the learners were actually doing during planning time. The results showed that output-based planning had positive effects on speaking performance and its repeated practice led to the improvement of overall proficiency.

While studies on the effects of foreign language speaking anxiety on EFL learners’ performance in oral tasks have been of great interest, few studies have been conducted regarding practical pedagogies that can decrease foreign language speaking anxiety. Based on the principles of Krashen’s input hypothesis (1985) and Swain’s output hypothesis (1993), this study compared the results and effectiveness of input-based reading activities and output-based writing activities, conducted prior to a recorded speaking task for foreign language speaking anxiety. For this study, 66 Korean university students were divided into two groups, each being assigned either input-based or output-based planning activities. The results showed that there was no significant difference in pre-/post-course speaking anxiety tests between groups. However, there was a significant decrease in foreign language speaking anxiety within each group. The results of student self-reflection papers demonstrated that around 80% of participants considered the planning activities to be helpful in decreasing their speaking anxiety. The organization of contents in planning activities was seen to be of most value in decreasing anxiety.