Task Planning and Oral L2 Production: A Research Synthesis and Meta-analysis

Abstract Increased second language acquisition (SLA) research interest in the effect of planning on subsequent L2 oral production has typically examined the effect of planning on the syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and/or fluency (CALF) of L2 production. However, the results of research in this domain are inconclusive. This study, a research synthesis and meta-analysis of SLA research on the effects of planning on the CALF of L2 oral production, attempts to facilitate a direct comparison of such research, first by examining the role of planning in theoretical models of (i) speech production, (ii) task complexity, and (iii) task readiness; second by summarizing the features of SLA research on planning; and finally by comparing the results of quantitative research on the effect of planning on subsequent L2 production. The results of the research synthesis portion of the study suggest a number of consistencies in SLA research on planning to date, whereas the results of the meta-analysis portion of the study suggest clear effects of planning on L2 oral production and have clear pedagogical implications for L2 instruction.