Аннотация
This article explores the linguistic, social, and cultural dynamics of a multilingual 9th-grade classroom in Uzbekistan. The learners, who study in a Russian-medium school, come from diverse linguistic backgrounds, including Russian, Uzbek, and Tajik. The study identifies two main subgroups Tajik-speaking students learning through Uzbek and Russian-speaking students learning through Russian and examines how these backgrounds affect English language acquisition. Drawing on sociolinguistic perspectives, the article discusses the roles of gender, ethnicity, and identity in shaping classroom interaction and participation. It also outlines pedagogical and assessment implications, emphasizing inclusive teaching strategies such as Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT). The findings highlight the importance of adapting instruction and assessment to students’ multilingual realities to promote equitable and effective learning.