The Effects of Translanguaging on L2 Oral Fluency: Evidence from Iranian EFL Classrooms

Although pedagogical translanguaging has become popular in L2 pedagogy, its impact on fluency development under monolingual assessment norms has remained unaddressed. The current study explores whether structured pedagogical translanguaging improves oral fluency in Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, evaluated using standardized monolingual criteria. Drawing on a randomized controlled design, 56 intermediate EFL learners were divided into an experimental group (n = 28), where strategic L1 (Persian) use was allowed during task preparation and peer collaboration, or a control group (n = 28) restricted to English-only instruction. Over six weeks, both groups performed story-telling tasks as pre-/post-tests, which were further assessed via a validated fluency rubric (Segalowitz, 2010; Skehan, 2009), measuring speech rate, pause frequency, and self-corrections. The results showed a significant improvement in the experimental group's oral fluency (p < .001), while the control group did not demonstrate a meaningful change (p = .933). Comparisons between groups highlight a statistically significant post-test superiority for the experimental group (p < .001). The findings emphasize the role of translanguaging in reducing cognitive load and fostering confidence. By challenging monolingual assumptions in EFL instruction, the findings of this study offer practical applications for incorporating translanguaging as a pedagogical framework to promote fluency, particularly in contexts where English proficiency is evaluated monolingually.