FLUENCY WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING: RE-EXAMINING COGNITIVE DEPTH, INTELLECTUAL PURPOSE, AND PEDAGOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY IN UNIVERSITY EFL INSTRUCTION

Abstract

Fluency has become one of the most visible indicators of success in university-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. Students who speak confidently, smoothly, and with minimal hesitation are frequently perceived as proficient, while slower, more reflective language use is often interpreted as a lack of competence. This article argues that such interpretations oversimplify the relationship between language, cognition, and learning in higher education. Drawing on applied linguistics, cognitive psychology, academic literacy studies, and critical perspectives on university pedagogy, the paper examines how an excessive emphasis on fluency may obscure deeper dimensions of language development that are central to academic life, including conceptual reasoning, epistemic engagement, and intellectual agency. Using a qualitative synthesis of existing literature combined with reflective analysis grounded in university EFL practice, the study identifies structural patterns in curriculum design, classroom interaction, and assessment that privilege performative language use over cognitive depth. The discussion situates these patterns within broader institutional pressures shaping contemporary higher education and argues for a reconceptualization of fluency as an intellectually grounded capacity rather than a purely performative skill. The article concludes by proposing pedagogical orientations that align EFL instruction more closely with the educational and ethical mission of the university.