本文旨在檢視口語活動時，構思時間對第二語言學習者口語表達之影響，進而探討學生如何運用構思時間，期許對學生構思時的認知過程有所了解，並對教師進行口語相關活動時有教學上的啟示。
本研究以構思時間的不同將實驗學生分為四組：(1) 無構思、(2) 活動前構思、(3) 活動時構思、(4)活動前及活動時構思。探討四組學生語言表達流利度、複雜度、及正確度的差異。實驗結果顯示活動前構思有助於語言表達流利度，活動時構思則有損語言表達流利度。活動前構思傾向增加語言表達複雜度，但活動時構思一組則未顯現清楚影響。正確度方面，四組中只有活動前及活動時構思一組略有助益。由此推論學生首先利用構思時間構思口語表達之內容，語言正確度則需在學生認知處理時間及能力許可時，方能兼顧。此外，本研究發現口語活動困難度、學生語言能力及口語習慣均影響了構思時間對語言表達複雜度及正確度所造成的影響。

Previous research on the impact of planning on L2 learners’ oral production has lent general support to the claim that pre-task planning facilitates the fluency and complexity aspects of oral production. However, due to lack of consistency in methodology, there has not been a conclusive result of the effects of planning. Besides, mixed results have been found for language accuracy. It remains uncertain whether pre-task planning or on-line planning enhances accuracy.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of both pre-task planning and on-line planning on the fluency, complexity and accuracy aspects of oral production. In this study, 40 participants were asked to narrate a picture story and were divided into groups under four conditions: (1) no-planning, (2) pre-task planning, (3) on-line planning, and (4) pre-task planning plus on-line planning. The results showed that pre-task planning improved fluency while on-line planning impeded fluency. Pre-task planning showed a tendency to facilitate complexity while on-line planning did not. It was also found that neither pre-task planning nor on-line planning evidently contributed to accurate language use. This finding contradicts with previous research which claimed that accuracy was more dependent on on-line planning. It appears that during on-line planning time, participants’ first priority remains the propositional content of the oral production.
Most of the results in this study fail to reach statistical significance. It may be due to the task difficulty and participants’ proficiency level. The impacts of these two variables on the results of planning studies are in need of more future research.

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