Translanguaging in EFL classrooms: Teachers’ perceptions and practices

Year 2019, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 678 - 694, 01.07.2019

Fatma Yuvayapan

https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.586811

Abstract

Please fill up the following information accurately. (Please use Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Translanguaging in EFL classrooms: Teachers’ perceptions and practices
The belief that the native language practices of individuals improve their competence in a foreign language gave rise to a number of bilingual language pedagogies, one of which is translanguaging. This term does not merely refer to switching between two languages, on the contrary, it involves a systematic use of two languages in a particular language teaching activity. In this study, English language teachers’ perceptions of translanguaging were examined through a questionnaire. Classroom observations were done to examine for what purposes they apply the use of L1 in their teaching and semi-structured interviews were done to figure out the reasons of the differences between their perceptions and actual use of L1. The participants of the study were English language teachers (EFL) who work at state and private schools in Turkey. The Likert-type items in the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and the data gathered from open-ended questions in the questionnaire, classroom observations and semi-structured interviews were exposed to structural-coding analysis. The results showed that EFL teachers’ perceptions were not akin to their practices. Although they held positive views about translanguaging in some particular situations, they did not frequently employ this pedagogy due to the expectations of their institutions, colleagues and parents of their students.
Information about Author(s)*
Author 1
Author (Last name, First name)	Yuvayapan, Fatma
Affiliated institution (University)	Osmaniye Korkut Ata University
Country
Email address	[e-mail]
Department & Rank
Corresponding author (Yes/No) Write only one corresponding author.
Author 2
Author (Last name, First name)
Affiliated institution (University)
Country
Email address
Department & Rank
Corresponding author (Yes/No)
Author 3
Author (Last name, First name)
Affiliated institution (University)
Country
Email address
Department & Rank
Corresponding author (Yes/No)
Author 4
Author (Last name, First name)
Affiliated institution (University)
Country
Email address
Department & Rank
Corresponding author (Yes/No)

Keywords

English language teaching; bilingualism; translanguaging

References

• Andrews, J., Fay, R., & White, R. (2018). What shapes everyday translanguaging? Insights from A global mental health project in Nothern Uganda. In G. Mazzaferro (Ed.), Translanguaging as everyday practice (p. 257-272). Switzerland, Springer.
• Appel, R., & Muysken, P. (2005). Language contact and bilingualism. Amsterdam University Press: Amsterdam.
• Bialystok, E. (2001). Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy and cognition. Edinburg: Cambridge University Press.
• Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. New York: Mc Naughton & Gunn Ltd.
• Canagarajah, S. (2011). Translanguaging in the classroom: Emerging issues for research and pedagogy. Applied Linguistics Review, 2, 1-28.
• Cargan, L. (2007). Doing social research. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
• Carstens, A. (2016). Translanguaging as a vehicle for L2 acquisition and L1 development: students’ perceptions. Language Matters, 47(2), 203-222. doi:
• 1080/10228195.2016.1153135
• Creese, A., & Blackledge, A. (2010). Translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: A pedagogy for learning and teaching. The Modern Language Journal, 94, 103-115.
• Creese, A., & Blackledge, A. (2015). Translanguaging and identity in educational settings. Annual review of Apllied Linguistics, 35, p.20-35. doi: 10.1017/S0267190514000233
• Cummins,C. & Corson, D. (1997). Encyclopedia of language and education: Volume 5. Kluwer Academic Publishers: The Netherlands.
• Denzin, N. K. (2009). The research act. New Jersy: Aldine Transaction.
• Duarte, D. (2019) Translanguaging in mainstream education: a sociocultural approach. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 22(2), 150-164, doi:10.1080/13670050.2016.1231774
• Ebe, A. E., & Chapman-Santiago (2016). Student voices shining through. In O. Garcia & T. Kleyn (Eds.), Translanguaging with multilingual students (pp. 57-82). New York: Routledge.
• Galletta, A. (2013). Mastering the semi-structured interview and beyond. New York: New York University Press.
• Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the twenty-first century: A global perspective. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
• García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Grosjean, F. (2010). Bilingual: Life and reality. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
• Harriss, R. J. (1992). Cognitive processing in bilinguals. Amsterdam: North Holland, Elsevier Science Publishers.
• Holdway, J., & Hitchcock, C. H. (2018). Exploring ideological becoming in professional development for teachers of multilingual learners: Perspectives on translanguaging in the classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 75, 60-70.
• Hornberger, N. H., & Link, H. (2012) Translanguaging in today's classrooms: A biliteracy lens. Theory into Practice, 51(4), 239-247. doi: 10.1080/00405841.2012.726051
• Incecay, V. (2015). Contrasting rhetorical patterns: Discovering effects of first language and second language writing conventions. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 61, 137-154. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2015.61.8
• Jaekel, N., Jaekel, J., Willard, J., & Leyendecker, B. (2019). No evidence for effects of Turkish immigrant children’s bilingualism on executive functions. PLoS ONE 14(1), 1-14. doi: https://doi. org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209981
• Kim, Y., & Petraki, E. (2009). Students’ and teachers’ use of and attitudes to L1 in the EFL classroom. Asian EFL Journal, 11(4), 58-89.
• Lubliner, S., & Grisham, D. L. (2017). Translanguaging. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
• McMillan, B. A., & Rivers, D. J. (2011). The practice of policy: Teachers’ attitudes towards “English only”. System, 39, 251-263.
• Mwinda, N., & Van der Walt, C. (2015). From 'English-only' to translanguaging strategies: exploring possibilities. Per Linguam: A Journal of Language Learning, 31(3), 100-118. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5785/31-3-620
• Nambisan, K. A., (2014). Teachers' attitudes towards and uses of translanguaging in English language classrooms in Iowa (Graduate Dissertations). Iowa State University, Iowa, the USA.
• Nugent, W. R. (2010). Probability and sampling. In B. A. Thyer (Ed.), The handbook of social work research methods (p. 37-50). California: SAGE Publication.
• Paker, T. & Karağaç, O. (2015). The use and functions of mother tongue in EFL classes. Procedia, Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 111-119.
• Portoles, L. & Marti, O. (2017). Translanguaging as a teaching resource in eraly language learning of English as an additional language. Bellaterra Journal Teaching & Leaning Language & Literature, 10(1), 61-77.
• Rathert, S. (2013). Using bilingual techniques in teaching EFL to Turkish learners: Effects on self-efficacy and learner perception (A case study) (Unpublished MA thesis). Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
• Rivera, A. J., & Mazak, C. M. (2017). Analyzing student perceptions on translanguaging: A case study of a Puerto Rican university classroom. HOW, 24(1), 122-138. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.19183/how.24.1.312.
• Rodriguez, D., Carrasquillo, A., & Lee, K. S. (2014). The bilingual advantage. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Rowe, L. W. (2018). Say it in your language: supporting translanguaging in multilingual classes. The Reading Teacher, 72(1), 31-38.
• Saldana, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researches. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
• Sali, P. (2014). An analysis of the teachers' use of L1 in Turkish EFL classrooms. System, 42, 308-318.
• Schissel, J. L., De Korne, H. & López-Gopar, M. (2018). Grappling with translanguaging for teaching and assessment in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts: teacher perspectives from Oaxaca, Mexico. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 2018, 1-17. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1463965
• Schweers Jr, C. W. (1999). Using L1 in the L2 classroom. English teaching forum, 37(2), 6-9.
• Şeker, E. (2018). Bilingual Acquisition of English and Turkish languages: A case study of a Turkish Infant. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 14(2), 183-192.
• Velasco, P., & García, O. (2014) Translanguaging and the writing of bilingual learners. Bilingual Research Journal, (37)1, 6-23. doi: 10.1080/15235882.2014.893270
• Wragg, E. C. (1999). An introduction to classroom observation (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
• Yavuz, F. (2012). The attitudes of English teachers about the use of L1 in the teaching of L2. Procedia, Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 4339-4344.