Speaking fluency and critical thinking among Egyptian EFL business students: a mixed-methods study

The integration of speaking fluency (SF) and critical thinking (CT) is essential for effective academic and professional communication; however, these skills are often examined separately in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) research. Limited evidence exists regarding their interaction within Egyptian higher education, particularly in non-language faculties. This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between SF and CT among 100 second-year Egyptian EFL business students at an intermediate (B1) level. Students completed a six-task performance-based test targeting multiple fluency skills (oral fluency, discourse management, suprasegmental features, interactive fluency, and formulaic expressions) and critical thinking skills (idea clarification, evidence provision, perspective integration, solution justification, and reflective reasoning). Students' performances were evaluated using analytic rubrics with strong internal consistency (SF α = 0.87; CT α = 0.90) and high inter-rater reliability (κ = 0.87). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and linear regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated moderate performance in both SF (M = 3.2, SD = 0.8) and CT (M = 3.0, SD = 0.9). A significant moderate positive correlation was found between SF and CT, r ₍₉₈₎ = 0.46, p < 0.001. Regression analysis showed that SF significantly predicted CT performance, explaining 21% of variance (R ² = 0.21). Qualitative findings from focus groups revealed speaking anxiety, overreliance on memorization, limited evaluative reasoning, and insufficient exposure to authentic communicative tasks. The findings suggest that speaking fluency supports the expression of critical thinking, although it does not ensure higher-order reasoning. The study highlights the need for integrated EFL instruction that connects oral communication practice with structured reasoning tasks to better develop both competencies.