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Understanding L2 Proficiency: Theoretical and meta-analytic investigations
Edited by Eun Hee Jeon and Yo In'nami
[Bilingual Processing and Acquisition 13] 2022
► pp. 339–367

Chapter 11
L2 speaking and its external correlates

A meta-analysis

ORCID logo | University of North Carolina at Pembroke
ORCID logo | Chuo University
ORCID logo | Seisen University

The present study synthesizes the correlation coefficients between discourse-level L2 speaking and nine relevant correlates: L2 vocabulary knowledge, L2 grammar knowledge, working memory, L2 reading comprehension, L2 listening comprehension, L2 writing, language aptitude, metacognition, and anxiety. Fifty-one independent samples from 41 primary studies publlished between 1975 and 2017 were included in the study. Correlations weighted for sample size and, when possible, corrected for attenuation due to measurement errors were submitted to a series of nine quantitative meta-analyses. The results showed that L2 knowledge variables were strongly correlated with L2 speaking (.563 for vocabulary and .622 for grammar). The same results were found for companion L2 proficiency variables such as L2 reading comprehension (.822), L2 listening comprehension (.530), and L2 writing (.605). As for the language general variables, metacognition was much more strongly correlated with L2 speaking (.624) compared to working memory (.102). Lastly, language aptitude and anxiety each showed a positive and a negative correlation falling in the medium to large range: .481 for language aptitude and −.432 for anxiety.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Review of variables
    • 2.1Vocabulary knowledge
    • 2.2Grammar knowledge
    • 2.3Three companion variables of L2 speaking: L2 reading comprehension, L2 listening comprehension, and L2 writing
    • 2.4Working memory
    • 2.5Metacognition
    • 2.6Language aptitude
    • 2.7Anxiety
  • 3.Research question
  • 4.Method
    • 4.1Literature search and inclusion criteria
    • 4.2Measures of L2 speaking and its correlates included in the study
    • 4.3Analytical procedures
    • 4.4Meta-analytic procedures
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1L2 speaking and L2 vocabulary knowledge
    • 5.2L2 speaking and L2 grammar knowledge
    • 5.3L2 speaking and L2 reading comprehension
    • 5.4L2 speaking and L2 listening comprehension
    • 5.5L2 speaking and L2 writing
    • 5.6L2 speaking and working memory
    • 5.7L2 speaking and metacognition
    • 5.8L2 speaking and language aptitude
    • 5.9L2 speaking and anxiety
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1L2 speaking and L2 knowledge variables: L2 vocabulary and L2 grammar
    • 6.2L2 speaking and language-general cognitive resources: Working memory and metacognition
    • 6.3The relationship between L2 speaking and three proficiency variables: L2 reading comprehension, L2 listening comprehension, and L2 writing
    • 6.4L2 speaking and language aptitude
    • 6.5L2 speaking and anxiety
  • 7.Conclusion
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 4 August 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/bpa.13.11jeo
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