EXPLORING THE EFFECT OF DISCUSSION-BASED ACTIVITIES ON SPEAKING FLUENCY AMONG B2 EFL LEARNERS: EVIDENCE FROM A CLASSROOM SURVEY

Abstract

Abstract. This article examines the pedagogical effect of discussion-based activities on the development of speaking fluency among learners of English as a foreign language. Speaking fluency is interpreted not only as the speed of speech, but also as the ability to express ideas clearly, continue communication with natural pauses, respond to interlocutors, support arguments and use language meaningfully in real classroom interaction. The study is enriched with the results of a small-scale classroom survey conducted among 13 EFL learners. The survey showed that the group was linguistically mixed: among the 12 learners who answered the level question, 58.33% identified themselves as B1, 25% as B2, 8.33% as C1 and 8.33% were not sure about their level. The findings also revealed several barriers to speaking fluency: 76.92% of respondents felt very or slightly unconfident during class discussions, 61.54% did not agree that they could speak without long pauses, and 61.53% disagreed or strongly disagreed that they could express their ideas clearly in group discussions.