498 WINTER 2OO3 The Oral Proficiency Intenriew: A Research Ag.nda Micheline Chalhoub-Deville University of lowa Glenn Fulcher University of Dundee AbStfaCl: tvtany researchers andpractitioners maintain that ACTFI3 efforts to improte instruc- tional practices and promote proJiciency assessments tied to descrtptors oJ what learners can do in real life have contributed significantly to secondlanguage teaching and testing. Similar endeavors in the area of reseArch, however, are cntically needed. Focusing on the oral proJiciency interview (OPI), this article argues that ACTFLhas a responsibility to its staheholders to initiate a research program that generates a coherent combination of logical and ernpincal evidence to support its OPI interpretations and proctices. The article highlights a number of high-pnonty areas- including delimiting purposes, examining intewiew discourse, documenting rater/interlocutor behavior, explicating the native speaher cntenon, and inyestigating the OPI's irnpact on language pedagoglt-that shouldbe incorporated into the research agenda. lntroduction With more than 20 years of history one could say that the proficiency movement has come of age. Efforts to develop and disseminate proficiency principles and products have been well rewarded. The proficiency movement's primary products, the ACTFL Guidelines and the oral proficiency interview (OPI) have not only prevailed but have asserted themselves in the second language field. At this juncture, it is incumbent on the movement's most conspicuous and important orga- nization, ACTFL, to capitalize on its successes and promote research that documents the sound- ness of its products and practices. In this article focusing primarily on the OPI, we emphasize the need for an ongoing and systematic research agenda that provides a coherent account of, and support for, the interpretations and uses of OPI ratings. We identify issues in several fundamen- tal areas that need to be incorporated into this research agenda. First, however, we present an overview of the historical circumstances that have governed OPI research and development. In this overvieq we describe some of the circumstances that have shaped ACTFL products and services and have determined research goals and priorities. Moreover, a historical perspective may help the reader better appreciate the underpinnings of the issues highlighted in the research agenda discussed later. A Critical History The Early Years In the United States, the OPI originated out of practical necessity. During World War II, the majority of U.S. military personnel did not have the skills needed to perform key foreign- language communication tasks. Micheline Chalhoub-Deville (PhD, Ohio State [Jniversity) is Associate Professor in the Foreign Language and ESL Education Program at the Universitl, of lowa. Glenn Fulcher (PhD, University of Lancaster, UK) is Director of the Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK.