Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency in EFL Oral Performance of Italian Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties
Insights from the Neurodivergent Learner Corpus
Abstract
This study investigates the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of English oral productions by 32 Italian university students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), using data from the developing Neurodivergent Learner Corpus. Results reveal performance patterns associated with the type of course attended (intensive vs. extensive) and the type of learning difficulty. Learners with multiple SpLDs exhibited greater processing demands, reflected in longer pauses, lower grammatical accuracy, but also more successful self-corrections. By contrast, students with dyslexia spoke more fluently and maintained better grammatical control, despite less efficient self-monitoring. Findings suggest that multiple SpLDs might impose broader processing challenges affecting both fluency and accuracy. While the results are not generalisable, the study indicates that L2 difficulties in SpLD learners go beyond reading and writing and highlights the need for further corpus-based research on language teaching and learning to neurodivergent learners.
Presentato: 03 Aprile 2026 | Accettato: 23 Maggio 2026 | Pubblicato 14 Luglio 2026 | Lingua: en
Keywords Learner corpus research • Specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) • Instructed second language acquisition • English as a foreign language (EFL) • Dyslexia
Copyright © 2026 Michele Daloiso, Paola Govoni. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.