Understanding Oral Fluency in English from Students' Perspectives

Yıl 2026, Cilt: 22 Sayı: 1 , 92 - 110 , 28.04.2026

Cüneyt Bildik

https://doi.org/10.17860/mersinefd.1811314

https://izlik.org/JA99ED36KC

Öz

In recent years, research on how to promote students’ oral fluency has proliferated due to its central role in effective communication. However, given its complex nature, oral fluency remains a contested concept among educators, learners, and assessors. Notably, in-depth research from learners’ perspectives is limited, although such perspectives can offer valuable pedagogical insights. This phenomenological qualitative study aimed to address this gap by exploring undergraduate students’ experiences and conceptualizations of oral fluency and the factors shaping its development. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with ten undergraduate civil aviation students enrolled in an English speaking skills course. Thematic analysis revealed that students’ prior experiences with oral fluency were highly limited and that most held predominantly transactional conceptions, associating fluency with rapid, uninterrupted speech based on linguistic resources. The findings further indicated that cognitive, social, and affective constraints jointly shape oral fluency development. In response, learners expressed a preference for classroom environments that combine sustained L2-mediated interaction with individualized pedagogical support. By foregrounding learners’ voices, the study contributes to a more holistic understanding of oral fluency as a psychologically mediated, socially situated, and emotionally regulated construct, with implications for designing more learner-responsive approaches to fluency development in higher education.

Anahtar Kelimeler

oral fluency in English , learners' perspectives , oral fluency conceptualization , oral fluency development

Etik Beyan

This study was conducted in accordance with research and publication ethics and ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Kırklareli University on 10 October 2024 with no. E-35523585-199-137826.

Destekleyen Kurum

No financial support was received for this study.

Teşekkür

The author would like to thank all the experts, reviewers and the participants for their contribution to the study.

Öğrencilerin Bakış Açısından Akıcı İngilizce Konuşmayı Anlamak

https://izlik.org/JA99ED36KC

Öz

Son yıllarda, etkili iletişimi sağlamadaki rolü nedeniyle akıcı konuşmanın sınıf ortamında nasıl geliştirilebileceği üzerine yapılan araştırmalar artmaktadır. Ancak karmaşık doğasından ötürü akıcı konuşma; eğitimci, öğrenci, ölçme ve değerlendiriciler için hâlâ tartışılan bir kavram olmayı sürdürmektedir. Özellikle de akıcı konuşmayı öğrencilerin bakış açısından derinlemesine ele alarak, akıcılığın sınıf ortamında daha etkili şekilde geliştirilmesini sağlayabilecek araştırmaların sınırlı kaldığı görülmektedir. Olgubilim desenindeki bu nitel çalışma, üniversite öğrencilerinin akıcı İngilizce konuşma kavramı hakkındaki deneyimlerini, kavramlaştırmalarını ve akıcı konuşmanın gelişimini etkileyen faktörleri inceleyerek, bu boşluğu doldurmayı amaçlamıştır. Bu amaçla, İngilizce konuşma becerileri dersini alan on sivil havacılık programı öğrencisi ile yüz yüze görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Görüşmelerden elde edilen verilerin tematik analiz sonuçları, öğrencilerin akıcı İngilizce konuşma ile ilgili deneyimlerinin oldukça sınırlı olduğunu ve akıcı konuşmanın öğrenciler tarafından başta hızlı ve kesintisiz konuşma ile ilişkili ve dilbilgisel unsurlara dayalı, aktarımsal bir kavram olarak algılandığını ortaya koymuştur. Dahası, sonuçlar hem bilişsel hem de sosyal ve duyuşsal faktörlerin, akıcı konuşmanın gelişiminde rol oynadığını göstermiştir. Buna bağlı olarak, öğrenciler akıcı konuşmanın sınıf ortamında geliştirilebilmesi için bireyselleştirilmiş öğretimle desteklenmiş bir hedef dil topluluğu oluşturulmasına ihtiyaç olduğunu vurgulamışlardır. Çalışma, öğrencilerin bakış açılarını ve akıcı konuşmanın bilişsel, sosyal ve duyuşsal boyutlarını vurgulayarak, akıcı konuşmanın daha bütüncül bir şekilde anlaşılması ve geliştirilmesine katkı sağlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

akıcı İngilizce konuşma , öğrenci bakış açısı , akıcı konuşmanın kavramlaştırılması , akıcı konuşmanın gelişimi

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışma, araştırma ve yayın etiği ilkeleri uyarınca, Kırklareli Üniversitesi Rektörlüğü Bilimsel Araştırmalar ve Yayın Etiği Kurulu'nun 10 Ekim 2024 tarih ve E-35523585-199-137826 sayılı etik kurul izni ile gerçekleştirilmiştir.

Destekleyen Kurum

Bu çalışma için herhangi bir kurumdan finansal bir destek alınmamıştır.

Teşekkür

Çalışmaya önerileri ile katkı sağlayan tüm uzman, değerlendiriciler ve çalışmanın katılımcılarına teşekkürlerimi sunarım.

Kaynakça

• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
• Brink, H. I. L. (1993). Validity and reliability in qualitative research. Curationis, 16(2), 35–38. https://doi.org/10.4102/curationis.v16i2.1396
• Brookfield, S. D. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
• Buitrago, A. G. (2017). Collaborative and self-directed learning strategies to promote fluent EFL speakers. English Language Teaching, 10(5), 139. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n5p139
• Chambers, F. (1997). What do we mean by fluency? System, 25, 535-544. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(97)00046-8
• Chau, T., & Huensch, A. (2025). The relationships among L2 fluency, intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness: A meta-analysis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 47(1), 282–307. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263125000014
• Chou, M. (2018). Speaking anxiety and strategy use for learning English as a foreign language in full and partial English-medium instruction contexts. TESOL Quarterly, 52(3), 611–633. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.455
• Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. (4th ed.). SAGE.
• Dauba, J. G., & Jullanda, R. E. (2024). Psychological barriers to English language fluency among education students in private higher education institutions: Basis for an intervention program. International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science. https://doi.org/10.56726/IRJMETS59297
• Derwing, T. M. (2017). L2 fluency development. In S. Loewen & M. Sato (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of instructed second language acquisition (pp. 246–259). Routledge.
• Deshmukh, S. P. (2024). Factors influencing English speaking fluency among second language learners. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(5), 6410–6414. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i5.3951
• Diepenbroek, Lori G., & Tracey M. Derwing. 2014. To what extent do popular ESL textbooks incorporate oral fluency and pragmatic development? TESL Canada Journal 30(7),1. https://doi:10.18806/tesl.v30i7.1149
• Dörnyei, Z. (2019). Towards a better understanding of the L2 learning experience, the Cinderella of the L2 motivational self-system. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 9(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2019.9.1.2
• Fan, Y. (2020). Analysis of reasons for Chinese college students’ lack of oral English proficiency. Studies in English Language Teaching, 8(4), 63. https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v8n4p63
• Fillmore, C. J. (1979). On fluency. In C. J. Fillmore, D. Kempler, & W. S.-Y. Wang (Eds.), Individual differences in language ability and language behavior (pp. 85–101). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-255950-1.50012-3
• Flett, G. L., Hewitt, P. L., Su, C., & Flett, K. D. (2016). Perfectionism in language learners: Review, conceptualization, and recommendations for teachers and school psychologists. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 31(2), 75–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573516638462
• Foster, P. (2020). Oral fluency in a second language: A research agenda for the next ten years. Language Teaching, 53(4), 446–461. https://doi.org/10.1017/S026144482000018X
• Gan, Q., & Ma, L. (2023). Examining the perceptions and self-reported practices of L2 teachers in China regarding oral fluency: A conceptual replication and extension. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231186857
• Gul, N., Sabih-Ul-Hassan, S., & Imran, S. (2022). An exploration of the factors responsible for English language oral fluency problems faced by the undergraduate level students in district Kohat. Journal of Education and Social Studies, 3(2), 95–109. https://doi.org/10.52223/jess.20223205
• Hanzawa, K. (2024). Development of second language speech fluency in foreign language classrooms: A longitudinal study. Language Teaching Research, 28(3), 816–838. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211008693
• Hedge, T. (1993). Fluency. ELT Journal, 47(3), 275–276. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/47.3.275
• Khau, A.H., & Huynh, V.T.M. (2022). An investigation into oral fluency perceived by teachers and students in a Vietnamese context of English education. Lang Test Asia, 12, 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-022-00174-5
• Kim, K., Lee, J. H., & Lee, H. (2026). Systematic review synthesising the effects of study abroad experience on the development of language fluency. Oxford Review of Education, 52(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2024.2413109
• Kormos, J. (2011). Speech production and second language acquisition. Routledge.
• Lennon, P. (1990). Investigating fluency in EFL: A quantitative approach. Language Learning, 40(3), 387–417. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1990.tb00669.x
• Lintunen, P., & Peltonen, P. (2019). What is fluency? Learner perceptions of the concept. In P. Lintunen, M. Mutta, & P. Peltonen (Eds.), Fluency in L2 learning and use (pp. 16–33). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781788926317-004
• Luu, M. V. (2024). Determined factors and effective strategies for developing English speaking fluency among Vietnamese university students. PASAA, 68(1), 32–63. https://doi.org/10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.68.1.2
• Masuram, J., & Sripada, P. N. (2020). Developing spoken fluency through task-based teaching. Procedia Computer Science, 172, 623–630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.080
• McCarthy, M. (2010). Spoken fluency revisited. English Profile Journal, 1, e4. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2041536210000012
• McDonough, K., & Sato, M. (2019). Promoting EFL students’ accuracy and fluency through interactive practice activities. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 379-395. http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2019.9.2.6
• Menson, A. B. (2024). Differentiated learning instruction: Its effects on students’ oral English fluency. Library Progress International, 44(2s), Article 2s. https://doi.org/10.48165/bapas.2024.44.2.1
• Mohammadi, M., & Enayati, B. (2018). The effects of lexical chunks teaching on EFL intermediate learners’ speaking fluency. International Journal of Instruction, 11(3), 179–192. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11313a
• Molina, M., & Briesmaster, M. (2017). The use of the 3/2/1 technique to foster students’ speaking fluency. Inquiry in Education, 9(2). https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol9/iss2/8
• Morrison, A. (2018). Fluency in the EFL Chilean classrooms: To what extent do teachers and textbooks promote oral fluency? [Master’s Thesis]. University of Reading. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/astrid_morrison_university_of_reading_dissertation.pdf
• Myhre, T. S., & Fiskum, T. A. (2021). Norwegian teenagers’ experiences of developing second language fluency in an outdoor context. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 21(3), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2020.1769695
• Naghavian, M. (2024). English learners’ beliefs about L2 speaking fluency: Insights from elicited metaphor analysis. The Modern Language Journal, 108(3), 719-740. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12952
• Namaziandost, E., Hashemifardnia, A., & Shafiee, S. (2019). The impact of opinion-gap, reasoning-gap, and information-gap tasks on EFL learners’ speaking fluency. Cogent Social Sciences, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2019.1630150
• Ngoc, D. T. B., & Dung, T. T. (2020). Key factors influencing learners’ oral fluency in English speaking classes: A case at a public university in Viet Nam. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 36(6). https://doi.org/10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4631
• Nguyen, C. H. (2024). Self-consciousness and the unwillingness to communicate: An ethnographic case study. In H. P. Bui, T. C. Bang, & C. H. Nguyen (Eds.), Advances in educational technologies and instructional design (pp. 51–67). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-5365-3.ch004
• Nhan, L. K. (2024). Factors affecting English speaking proficiency among English-majored students in a Vietnamese university. International Journal of Science and Management Studies, 7(3), 237–245. https://doi.org/10.51386/25815946/ijsms-v7i3p112
• Onoda, S. (2014). An Exploration of Effective Teaching Approaches for Enhancing the Oral Fluency of EFL Students. In: Muller, T., Adamson, J., Brown, P.S., Herder, S. (Eds.), Exploring EFL Fluency in Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137449405_8
• Peltonen, P. (2024). Fluency revisited. ELT Journal, 78(4), 489–492. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad047
• Peters, J., Frank, M., & Rohloff, T. (2024). Effects of task type and task difficulty on oral fluency in native and non-native speech. Speech Prosody 2024, 364–368. https://doi.org/10.21437/SpeechProsody.2024-74
• Phisutthangkoon, K. (2024). Thai EFL university students’ beliefs in English-Speaking fluency. rEFLections, 31(2), 478–500. retrieved from https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/reflections/article/view/274780
• Poulton, P. (2023). Being a teacher-researcher: Reflections on an insider research project from a virtues-based approach to research ethics, Educational Action Research, 31(3), 575-591. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2021.1962379
• Qiu, X. (2019). Functions of oral monologic tasks: Effects of topic familiarity on L2 speaking performance. Language Teaching Research, 24(6), 745-764. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168819829021
• Renandya, W. A., & Jacobs, G. M. (2016). Extensive reading and listening in the L2 classroom. In W. A. Renandya & H. P. Widodo (Eds.), English language teaching today: Linking theory and practice (pp. 97–110). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38834-2_8
• Reynolds, B.L., & Yu, M.H. (2022). Using English as an international language for fluency development in the internationalised Asian university context. Asia-Pacific Edu Res, 31, 11-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-020-00534-w
• Robayo Acuña, L. M. (2025). Developing oral fluency in English: EFL teachers’ understanding, self-reported practices, and textbook support. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 27(2), 121–136. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v27n2.115146
• Rossiter, M. J., Derwing, T. M., Manimtim, L. G., & Thomson, R. I. (2010). Oral fluency: The neglected component in the communicative language classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 66(4), 583–606. https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.66.4.583
• Saldana, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). Sage.
• Santos, J., & Ramírez-Ávila, M. (2022). Improving speaking fluency through 4/3/2 technique and self-assessment. TESL-EJ, 26(4). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.26102a1
• Segalowitz, N. (2016). Second language fluency and its underlying cognitive and social determinants. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 54(2). https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2016-9991
• Takizawa, K. (2024). What contributes to fluent L2 speech? Examining cognitive and utterance fluency link with underlying L2 collocational processing speed and accuracy. Applied Psycholinguistics, 45(3), 516–541. https://doi.org/10.1017/S014271642400016X
• Tamás, T. (2024). Secondary students’ beliefs about English L2 speaking fluency. Educational Role of Language Journal, 2024(1), 34–45. https://doi.org/10.36534/erlj.2024.01.03
• Tavakoli, P. (2023). Making fluency research accessible to second language teachers: The impact of a training intervention. Language Teaching Research, 27(2), 368–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820951213
• Tavakoli, P., & Hunter, A.-M. (2018). Is fluency being ‘neglected’ in the classroom? Teacher understanding of fluency and related classroom practices. Language Teaching Research, 22(3), 330–349. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817708462
• Tavakoli, P. & Wright, C. (2020). Second language speech fluency: From research to practice. Cambridge University Press.
• Thornbury, S. (2007). How to teach speaking. London: Pearson Education Limited.
• Türk, F. (2022). Developing oral fluency in English. Sentez publishing.
• Vacalares, S. T., & Ong, C. G. (2024). The role of formulaic sequences in oral fluency: An ethnography. International Journal of Language, Linguistics, Literature, and Culture, 3(2), 48–63. https://doi.org/10.59009/ijlllc.2024.0062
• Wright, C., & Tavakoli, P. (2020). L2 fluency and its development: What do learners think? Language Teaching Research, 24(5), 589–607.
• Yang, I. J. (2014). The Implementation of speaking fluency in communicative language teaching: An observation of adopting the 4/3/2 activity in high schools in China. International Journal of English Language Education, 2(1), 193. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijele.v2i1.5136
• Yüzlü, M. Y., & Atay, D. (2020). The effectiveness of L1 use in promoting oral production in L2 across different proficiency levels. Dil ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi, 16(2), 864–882. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.759330