A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book

Promoting L2 English speech fluency in Finnish general upper secondary education: An analysis of textbooks and teachers’ perceptions




AuthorsRihko, Leena; Peltonen, Pauliina

EditorsVeivo O., Jakonen T., Laine P. & Merke S.

PublisherAFinLAn vuosikirja

Publication year2025

Journal:AFinLan vuosikirja

Book title Kieli avaimena muuttuvaan maailmaan – Language as a key to a changing world

Series titleSuomen soveltavan kielitieteen yhdistyksen julkaisuja

Number in series82

Volume82

First page 180

Last page204

ISBN978-951-9388-81-6

eISSN2343-2608

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.30661/afinlavk.157199

Web address https://doi.org/10.30661/afinlavk.157199

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505188070


Abstract

This article addresses how speech fluency is promoted in general upper secondary education in Finland. Promoting speech fluency was examined from two perspectives: an analysis of activities in textbooks and teachers’ views of the usefulness of textbooks in teaching fluency. The textbook analysis included 32 English textbooks from four textbook series. Teachers’ perceptions were studied with a questionnaire that was answered by 26 English teachers. The results demonstrate that there were 64 fluency-focused activities in the 32 textbooks. Over 80% of the participants wished to have more fluency-enhancing activities in textbooks, yet, over 60% were satisfied with the number of fluency activities. The results suggest that the importance of speech fluency is recognised in textbooks and by teachers, but teachers are expected to supplement textbooks with other fluency-focused activities. A large variety of fluency activities in textbooks would be beneficial to facilitate learners’ fluency development in an ideal way.


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Last updated on 2025-06-11 at 08:18