GC Women University, Sialkot

MS Linguistics

Name : Hajrah Naveed

Roll no : 09

Semester : 1st

Course Title : Research Methods in Linguistics

Project : Term Paper

Submitted to : Dr Rashid Hafeez

Examining the Perceptions of Teachers and Students Towards the
Use of Translanguaging in EFL Classrooms

Introduction
Teachers are often confronted with different challenges in linguistically diverse classrooms.
English is the lingua-franca and has been taught all over the world as English as a Foreign
Language(EFL) or English as a Second Language(ESL) as well as English for Specific
purposes(ESP). The students from different cultures came in English Language classrooms in
order to learn English. The problem arises when they are not fluent in English, which restricts
them from interacting their classmates, presenting their ideas in the best possible way. This is
hurdle that most of the students from Bilingual or Multilingual backgrounds face. To overcome
this hurdle, the scholars highlight the importance of native language in order to learn second
language, which gave rise to bilingualism and multilingualism. Bilingualism refers to when a
person speaks two languages fluently in any situation for better communication. Multilingualism
is when a person can speak more than two languages. The learning of different languages
increased the linguistic repertoire. Over the past two decades, bilingualism and multilingualism
dominated the Education sector. Linguists are trying to find the new teaching and learning
strategies to deal with language learning and improve the quality of learning.

The Bilingual and Multilingual education shifted our attention towards the benefits of learning
more languages. In Pakistan, students came from different backgrounds or regions and thus have
exposure to multilingualism. The world is moving from monolingualism to multilingualism.
Because students came from different countries to study and they are known as immigrant
students. In order to keep them in touch with their home language, the concept of
Translanguaging emerged. Translanguaging is basically used as a pedagogical strategy to support
the multilingual students. It basically originated from Welsh, where English bilinguals were
observed in terms of their complex linguistic behaviour and their knowledge of the use of two
languages. In Pakistan, the stakeholder are shifting the pedagogy from multilingualism to
monolingualism. Because of this reason, students face problems in learning. With regard to this,
the aim of this study is to investigate the Perceptions of EFL Teachers and Students towards the
use of Translanguaging in English Classrooms. The results will brief us about the practices of
Translanguaging in classroom settings and to what extent it is beneficial for the students.

Translanguaging is a pedagogical application used in classroom. It is basically an approach that

allows students to use various languages in classroom in order to enhance their learning and
academic achievement. According to Mignolo (2000) and Li Wei(2011) the word “Trans” in
Translanguaging refers to transdisciplinary approach to language, which involves the dynamic
actions and also include the people’ way of use and functioning in language reality.
Translanguaging is that you use multiple languages in comprehensible manner in the particular
setting where the speaker knows the boundaries between the languages. Mostly, it is confused
with code switching and mixing. Although, code-switching and Translanguaging seems similar,
but they are different in nature. Code switching is the juxtaposition of two languages in a spoken
discourse which involves transferring from one code to another in a communication. While on
the other hand, Translanguaging is considered as a fluid construct, that functions in different
contexts including social, cultural, historical and political contexts (Bloomaert, 2010). In the
same way, Translanguaging is considered as the phenomena of movement between languages,
and the movement between languages form a repertoire or integrated linguistic system
(Canagarajah, 2011). Codeswitching and translanguaging vary according to who is in the
conversation, what the topic is, and in what kind of context the conversation occurs. Where code
switching revolves more around the actual language code and word/concept development,
translanguaging is more about the kind of context in which the conversation occurs (Baker &
Wright, 2017).

Translanguaging is considered as an effective teaching and learning strategy in classroom

settings. The reason of the development of Translanguaging in education sector is that, it occurs
among multilingual students. In every classroom, students came from different backgrounds,
with different languages. And especially in English classrooms, where medium of Instruction is
English, it is difficult for the multilingual students to be proficient in English Language(target
language) and communicate their ideas in English. In ESL classrooms, where students came
from different countries and not proficient in the target language, Translanguaging came up as
the saviour of these students and diverted the attention towards the benefits of the use of various
languages. Translanguaging is beneficial for such students as it gives them prestige to use
various languages in a systematic way in order to enhance learning. Historically, it is viewed that
the lack of attention to the native language of the students has far reaching negative effects on
students performance as well as on their motivation level ( Cummins, 2001, 2007). While several
initiatives were taken for bi- or trilingual education (Gojo 2014), Translanguaging pedagogy is a
comprehensive approach which allows the students to use various languages in formal classroom
settings.

In a nutshell, Translanguaging is a unique pedagogy used in classroom practices. It’s a recently

emerged phenomena. It is often confused with code switching, but Garcia clarify the differences.
In Pakistan, students have different backgrounds. In English classrooms, most of the students are
not proficient in English. Language restriction is the big hurdle in teaching and learning
environment, where the students are unable to communicate and instructors are unable to teach
without a proper language that is understood by both teachers and students. Most of the scholars
and Linguists are of the view that Translanguaging is not something to be taught to the students.
It occurs naturally to the multilingual students. It is stated that Punjab is the multilingual area
where most of the people speak Punjabi, Urdu, Saraiki, but Urdu is their main language of
communication ( Liljegren & Akhunzada, 2017). Although Translanguaging is considered as an
effective strategy but it could be challenging as well. Many argue that in English Classrooms,
English must be the only language used in Classrooms, which blurs the concept of
Translanguaging. In order to figure out that Translanguaging should be used or not in English
Classrooms. The ultimate aim of this study is to figure out the use of Translanguaging in EFL
Classroom of multilingual students. The purpose of this study is to get the deep understanding of
the Translanguaging practices in EFL Classrooms. And to gain insights of the teachers views on
Translanguaging practices in EFL Classrooms and to what extent it is beneficial for the students.
This study will also highlights the opinions of students towards the use of Translanguaging as a
teaching strategy or as a medium of instruction in classroom setting. In order to answer these
questions, this study will provide us indepth understanding of the importance and effectiveness
of Translanguaging practices in English Classrooms, where the multilingual teachers and
students incorporate with each other in a formal setting.
Literature Review
The term “Translanguaging” was coined by Cen William in 1990 in Welsh School of
bilingualism (Lewis et al., 2012). It is referred to as the teaching and learning strategy that can be
used in classroom settings, where the students can use their native language in order to enhance
their learning. Translanguaging is mostly used as a pedagogy in order to learn foreign languages
in a diverse society and seen as a beneficial strategy for the multilingual students.
Translanguaging can be defined as the process where one language is used in order to reinforce
the other language in order to increase their understanding. The implementation of
Translanguaging as a pedagogy is increasing in education sector due to the importance of
advancements in the teaching and learning strategies.

Many researches have shown the positive impacts of Translanguaging in education sector.
Classroom is a context in which the language practices can be easily understood, particularly
between local , national or foreign languages (Cenoz & Gorte, 2015) The use of Translanguaging
in classroom setting has certain benefits including both teachers and students. By the use of
Translanguaging in classroom, teachers can use various languages in order to explain the
concepts more clearly. It can give the deeper understanding of the content. Translanguaging can
also helps the students in order to improve the skills of their weaker language. It is also
beneficial for students to use their home language in order to ask questions, share ideas, or
communicate with teachers in a Foreign language classrooms.

Several Studies have been conducted on Translanguaging in different parts of the world. Most of
the studies conducted on the perceptions and attitudes of teachers and students towards
Translanguaging. And findings highlight the positive responses towards Translanguaging.
Fransiskus Dinang Raja et al (2022) studied the attitudes of teachers towards the
Translanguaging practices and its implications in Indonesian EFL Classrooms. The data is
conducted from 4 private juniors school teachers in the form of questionnaire and interviews.
The findings highlights the positive impacts of Translanguaging in Indonesian Classrooms. The
teachers implemented the Translanguaging practices in in several situations in their EFL
Classrooms, and the results highlight the positive response of the students towards the
implementation of Translanguaging in classroom setting. Another study was conducted in Russia
by Natalia Vasilievna Chicherina et al (2023). This study is conducted in Russian Monolingual
University in order to explore the teachers and students perception towards the role of
Translanguaging in English Language Teaching (ELT). The quantitative method is used to elicit
the responses of the participants. The findings highlights the value of ELT and the significance of
the Translanguaging in ELT. Both teachers and students were of the view that Translanguaging
helps them to communicate well in the class and increase the learning level of the students. It
gives the confidence to the students to use their native language as a resource to learn better in
classroom settings.

Fatma Yuvayapan et al (2019) conducted a study on Translanguaging in Turkish EFL

Classrooms. The teachers were interviewed based on their observations in Classroom. And
questionnaire is also used to elicit the responses of the students. The findings show that the
teachers had positive views about Translanguaging, but they did not in the favour of applying
translanguaging as a pedagogy in their Classrooms. They were of the view that Translanguaging
is effective strategy but it cannot be incorporated in Turkish EFL Classrooms due to the
expectations of the institutions, colleagues and parents of their students. This study highlights the
challenging aspect of Translanguaging. Even though, it has a great significance in Language
learning and teaching strategies, but it is not easily applicable in some of the Classrooms due to
social norms and the predefined language policies. Implementing Translanguaging as a pedagogy
in Classrooms is not an easy task. Anouk Ticheloven and Paul Laseman et al ( 2019) studied the
challenges of implementing Translanguaging in multilingual Classrooms. The interviews were
conducted from teachers, students and scholars of multilingual high schools. The findings show
the various pedagogical challenges regarding Translanguaging including side effects, goal
formulation, confusion, and English and other semiotic resources etc. The participants stressed
the importance of Translanguaging for dealing with negative emotions, feeling sad.
Translanguaging create confusion among students on the basis of individual differences. Scholars
were disagree on the desirable amount and form of Translanguaging in the classroom. These are
some challenges highlighted in this study.

Translanguaging can be used as a medium of instruction in Classrooms. However, there’s a

debate on Translanguaging as a medium of instruction. Some Scholars believe that
Translanguaging is a natural phenomena and does not particularly need to teach in Classroom
settings. Qi Zhang and Mei Lin at al (2020) conducted a study on Translanguaging perspective
on medium of instruction in the CFL classroom. This study is conducted in Chinese as a Foreign
Language Classrooms (CFL) in China. Interviews were conducted based on the class
observations. The findings highlight that the Translanguaging is commonly used in CFL
Classroom. This study also highlights the challenges faced by the teachers due to limited
resource availability. English was used for explanatory and elicitation tasks, while Chinese was
chosen mainly for teaching and instructing purposes. Translanguaging can be used to increase the
learning opportunities for the students. Melinda Martin-Beltran conducted a research on how
Adolescents use Translanguaging to expand their learning opportunities. The Spanish and
English language students use multilingual repertoires to participate in school programs. The
findings shows that the students expand their opportunities by interacting with linguistically
diverse groups that draws upon Translanguaging practices. Translanguaging is seen as a rich tool
to enhance the learning opportunities of the students.

In Pakistan , Translanguaging is less researched area. However, few studies have been conducted
on Translanguaging practices in private sector universities. Zehra Batool and Kiran Shehzadi et
al (2022) conducted a study on teachers Perceptions towards Translanguaging strategy in ESL
classroom setting of private universities of Pakistan. A questionnaire is used to elicit the
responses from the teachers of private sector universities. The results highlighted the benefits of
using first language in order to teach second language in English Classrooms. Most of the
teachers have encouraged the use of students native language in classroom. There is a confusion
in codeswitching and translanguaging in multilingual classrooms. Another study was conducted
by Dr. Arshad and Naureen Nazir et al (2020). They conducted a study on the Higher Education
teachers’Perceptions on Translanguaging practices in multilingual classrooms. The quantitative
method is used to explore the teachers’ perceptions. Questionaire of five Likert-Type scale was
used to elicit responses from 93 respondents. The result shows that the teachers are aware of the
translanguaging practices but they are not using translanguaging as a pedagogy in their
multilingual classroom. Zarghona and Ghulam Rasool et al (2023) conducted a study on the
delimma of translanguaging and code-switching in multilingual EFL classrooms. This study
attempts to check the student’s perceptions regarding translanguaging and code-switching
practices in EFL classrooms. The data is collected from 247 undergraduate learners. The mixed-
method is used. Surveys and interviews were used as tools to conduct data. The results highlight
the positive response of the students towards the use of L1 and L2 during class. They were of the
view that translanguaging and code-switching contribute in language learning process rather than
obstructing it. After analyzing the literature, the ultimate aim of this study is to examine the
perceptions of teachers and students towards translanguaging of a Government sector university.

Research Gap

After Scrutinizing the Literature, It is found that no studies have been conducted on the
perceptions of Government Sector Higher educated teachers and students towards the use of
Translanguaging in EFL Classrooms. The Contextual gap is found after analysing the literature.
English is mostly used as a medium of instruction in English Classrooms of higher level. In
Pakistan, students came from different backgrounds. Some studied from English medium schools
and some studied from Urdu medium schools. EFL teachers are also belongs to different
backgrounds. There is a growing problem regarding the Translanguaging practices in EFL
Classrooms in Government sector universities. In order to fill this gap, this present study will
focus on the perceptions of EFL teacher and students towards the use of Translanguaging in
English Classrooms. In general, the present study extends what previous scholars have done by
employing a case study design (Yin, 2018). This study will helps to understand the
Translanguaging practices in EFL Classrooms in Government University of Sialkot. The results
will highlight the Translanguaging practices and to what extent it is beneficial for the
multilingual students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

Aim of the Study :

The ultimate aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of teachers and students towards
the use of Translanguaging in EFL classrooms. The results will highlight the pros and cons of
using Translanguaging in EFL classrooms. In Pakistan, students came from different
backgrounds. Some students studied from the schools where English is used as a medium of
instruction and some students studied from schools where Urdu is used as a medium of
instruction. At higher level, most of the students have good exposure to English language. In this
regard, the ultimate aim is to examine their perceptions in order to understand to what extent it is
beneficial or helpful for the students. Teachers use different teaching strategies in their
classrooms. It is stated that mostly EFL teachers prefer using English language in Classrooms.
But several researches has shown that Translanguaging can be an effective strategy that can be
used in Classroom settings. This study will help us to explore the viewpoints of EFL teachers
towards Translanguaging as a pedagogy in English Classrooms.

Objectives of the study :

 To examine the students perceptions towards the use of Translanguaging in EFL

classrooms.

 To explore the perceptions of teachers towards the implementation of Translanguaging as

a pedagogy in English Classrooms.

 To highlight the benefits of Translanguaging in EFL classrooms.

Research Questions :
1 : How do students perceive the use of Translanguaging in EFL classrooms?

2 : What are the perceptions of teachers towards the implementation of translanguaging as a

pedagogical approach in EFL classrooms?

3 : How does the use of Translanguaging benefits EFL learners?

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