Vietnamese L2 Teachers’ Enactment of Translanguaging in English Speaking Classrooms

Chau-Long Hoang Nguyen, Thao Quoc Tran

Abstract


Translanguaging has gained significant attention in English teaching, especially in multilingual English settings; nevertheless, how teachers enact translanguaging in English language teaching remains underexplored in English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts, particularly in regions with less established multilingual teaching frameworks. This qualitative study delved into EFL teachers’ enactment of translanguaging approach in English speaking classrooms at a high school in Vietnam. A group of four high school L2 teachers teaching English speaking classes participated in this study, and class observations and in-depth interviews were conducted to gain comprehensive insights into their translanguaging practices. The gained data were qualitatively analysed using the thematic analysis approach. The findings showed that L2 teachers used a translanguaging approach widely to support students’ cognitive learning, particularly in enhancing grammar and vocabulary. Additionally, using students' L1 language helped to reduce their anxiety levels, encouraged their active participation, and created a more inclusive learning environment. While this study is believed to offer some insights into L2 teachers’ enactment of translanguaging in Vietnamese EFL classrooms, it indicates the need for more discussions among EFL educators on integrating translanguaging into English language classrooms. Furthermore, it suggests that policymakers should consider establishing clear guidelines for its implementation across language classrooms.


Keywords


English speaking; L2; qualitative approach; translanguaging approach

References


Azungah, T. (2018). Qualitative research: Deductive and inductive approaches to data analysis. Qualitative Research Journal, 18 (4), pp. 383–400.

Borrero, N. (2011). Nurturing learners’ strengths: The impact of a school-based student interpreter program on Latino/a learners’ reading comprehension and English language development. Urban Education, 46 (4), pp. 663–688.

Canagarajah, S. (2011). Translanguaging in the classroom: Emerging issues for research and pedagogy. Applied linguistics review, Vol. 2, pp. 1-28.

Carbone, P., Martínez, R. A., Orellana, M. F., & Pacheco, M. (2008). Found in translation: Connecting translating experiences to academic writing. Language Arts, 85 (6), pp. 421–431.

Creese, A., & Blackledge, A. (2010). Translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: A pedagogy for learning and teaching?. The Modern Language Journal, 94 (1), 103–115.

Dang, T. P. (2022). Translanguaging in EFL University Classrooms (Unpublished Master’s thesis). Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Deroo, M. R., & Ponzio, C. (2019). Confronting ideologies: A discourse analysis of in-service teachers’ translanguaging stance through an ecological lens. Bilingual Research Journal, 42 (2), pp. 214-231.

Fang, F. (2020). Re-positioning accent attitude in the Global Englishes paradigm: A critical Phenomenological Case Study in the Chinese Context. Applied Linguistics, Vol. 5, pp. 940-943.

Fives, H., & Buehl, M. M. (2012). Spring cleaning for the “messy” construct of teachers’ beliefs: What are they? Which have been examined? What can they tell us? In APA educational psychology handbook, Vol 2: Individual differences and cultural and contextual factors (pp. 471–499). American Psychological Association.

García, O. (2011). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. John Wiley & Sons.

García, O., & Kleyn, T. (Eds.). (2016). Translanguaging with multilingual learners: Learning from classroom moments. New York, NY: Routledge.

García, O., & Wei, L. (2013). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. London, UK: Macmillan.

Gay, L.R, Miles, G. E. and Airasian, P. (2011). Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Applications. 10th Edition, Pearson Education International, Boston.

Ghajarieh, A. & Aghabozorgi, A. (2024). Translanguaging approaches and perceptions of Iranian EGP teachers in bi/multilingual educational spaces: a qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Research Journal, Emerald Insight.

Hornberger N., Link H. (2012). Translanguaging and transnational literacies in multilingual classrooms: A bilingual lens. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 15 (3), pp. 261- 278.

Hult, F. M., & Hornberger, N. H. (2016). Revisiting orientations in language planning: Problem, right, and resource as an analytical heuristic. The Bilingual Review, 33 (3), pp. 30–49.

Kharchenko, Y., & Chappell, P. (2020). Embracing the elephant in the room: Using L1 in the ELICOS classroom. English Australia Journal, 36 (2), pp. 69-76.

Lewis, G., Jones, B., & Baker, C. (2012a). Translanguaging: Developing its conceptualisation and contextualisation. Educational Research and Evaluation, 18 (7), pp. 655–670.

Littlewood, W., & Shufang, W. (2022). The role of learners’ first language in the foreign language classroom. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, Vol. 31, pp. 174-182.

Littlewood, W., & Yu, B. (2011). First language and target language in the foreign language classroom. Language Teaching, 44 (1), pp. 64-77.

Liu, H., Zhang, X. & Fang, F. (2021). Young English learners’ attitudes towards China English: unpacking their identity construction with implications for secondary level language education in China. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, pp. 1-16.

Liu, Y., & Fang, F. (2022). Translanguaging theory and practice: How stakeholders perceive translanguaging as a practical theory of language. RELC Journal, 53 (2), pp. 391- 399.

Macaro, E. (1997). Target language, collaborative learning and autonomy. Bristol, UK:

Multilingual Matters.

Nguyen, H. A., Chik, A., & Woodcock, S. (2022). Translanguaging in English-Medium instruction: Teacher practices at a Vietnamese university. In M. Pham & J. Barnett (Eds), English medium instruction practices in Vietnamese universities (pp. 137-151). Singapore: Springer.

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Vol. 16, pp. 1-13.

Ölmez, M. Ö., & Kirkgöz, Y. (2021). Examining secondary school teachers’ beliefs and purposes about the use of L1 in foreign language classes. Education Quarterly Reviews, 4 (1), pp. 596-606.

Pajares, M. F. (1992). Mobile times, mobile terms: The trans-super-poly-metro movement. In N. Coupland (Ed.), Sociolinguistics: Theoretical debates (Vol. 62). Cambridge University Press.

Palmer, D. K., Martínez, R. A., Mateus, S. G., & Henderson, K. (2014). Reframing the Debate on Language Separation: Toward a Vision for Translanguaging Pedagogies in the Dual Language Classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 98 (3), pp. 757–772.

Paltridge, B., & Phakiti, A. (2019). Research methods in applied linguistics: A practical resource. London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic

Pham, T. K. & Vu, T. H. V. (2023). Vietnamese EFL secondary teachers’ translanguaging use and their perceptions. HCMCOUJS-Social Sciences, 13 (2), pp. 37-54.

Saha, S. (2021). Translanguaging pedagogy in EAP classroom (Doctoral dissertation).

Saruwatashi, S. L. (2020). Principal Reasons for Using L1 in the L2 Classroom, Junshin Journal of Studies in Humanities, 26 (2), pp. 77-87.

Sayer, P. (2013). Translanguaging, TexMex, and Bilingual Pedagogy: Emergent Bilinguals Learning Through the Vernacular, Tesol Quarterly, 47 (1), pp. 63-88.

Susan, P. A. (2017). The importance of very high life satisfaction for learners’ academic success, Cogent Education, 4 (1), pp. 1-10.

Thomas, D. (2006). A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. American Journal of Evaluation, 27 (2), pp. 237–246.

Vu, T. M. T. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions of using mother tongue in English foreign language classrooms: An exploratory research project at a Hanoi high school (Unpublished Master’s thesis). Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnam National University.

Wei, L. (2017). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics, 39 (1), pp. 9- 30.

Yuvayapan, F. (2019). Translanguaging in EFL classrooms: Teachers’ perceptions and

practices. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 15 (2), pp. 678-694.

Zhou, X. (2023). Engaging in pedagogical translanguaging in a Shanghai EFL high school class. ELT Journal, 77 (1), pp. 1-10.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v15i1.75881

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


View My Stats

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.