DEVELOPING SPEAKING FLUENCY, CONFIDENCE, AND WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH 4/3/2-BASED BOOK-SPEAKING ACTIVITIES AMONG JAPANESE EFL LEARNERS

Abstract

This research focuses on the impact of a 4/3/2 fluency-building book-speaking activity on the English-speaking fluency, confidence, and willingness to communicate of Japanese university students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) scenario. 23 private Japanese university undergraduate students participated in a series of timed book discussion sessions structured around the 4/3/2 task-repetition framework. For each session, the time allotted for speaking was gradually reduced, and the listeners of the session were changed in peer listening and speaking interaction to provide varied interaction. A mixed-method approach was utilized with a 10-item Likert-scale questionnaire and 10 open-ended questions to gather quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data provided were in several measures of confidence, peer collaboration, and overall participation, with means of 4.13, 4.39, and 4.00, respectively, and were internally consistent and reliable (Cronbach’s alpha = .90) as well as positive in the extremities. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically in MAXQDA, Braun and Clarke’s (2006) proposed 6-phase approach, and provided the following themes: improvement in fluency, the triggering of speaking anxiety, and motivational enhancement by peer evaluation. These findings imply that time-structured repetition and peer interaction positively influence the development of fluency, self-efficacy, and willingness to communicate for Japanese EFL students. The research underscores the teaching value of emphasizing 4/3/2 speaking activities in college English courses to facilitate students' construction of automaticity, confidence, and continuous communicative involvement.