Translanguaging as a Pedagogical Resource in Multilingual ELT Classrooms: Exploring Perceptions and Practices

Abstract

The current study entitled Translanguaging as a Pedagogical Resource in Multilingual ELT Classrooms: Exploring Perceptions and Practices aims to analyze the secondary level English language teachers’ perceptions in using translanguaging in their English language classrooms, to find out the purposes of using translanguaging, and to explore the translingual practices in natural setting. It was qualitatively accomplished where ethnography was employed as the research design. The data were collected by using classroom observation and indepth interview as research tools where three English language teachers, teaching English at secondary level in three different government schools of Sotang Rural Municipality, Solukhumbu were interviewed, and nine of their English language classes were observed. All the English language teachers teaching at government schools were considered as the population for the study, and three English language teachers teaching English at government schools at Sotang Rural Municipality, Solukhumbu, were selected as the sample via using nonrandom purposive sampling strategy. The collected data were analysed and interpreted thematically, descriptively, and recursively based on the norms of data analysis and interpretation of ethnographic research design. After the analysis and interpretation of data, the findings were elicited, and presented in three different subsections, namely: related to teachers’ perceptions in using translanguaging, teachers’ practices of translanguaging, and the purposes of using translanguaging in the classroom instruction. The findings of the study revealed that all the teachers, selected as sample were fond of using translanguaging to which they took as the good methodology of teaching. They further perceived it as a natural phenomenon, and as a pedagogical resource which is significant for various purposes. The participants were found to be using Nepali and viii

English simultaneously though they asked for using multiple languages in the instruction as translanguaging. Moreover, the findings of the study showed that teachers used translanguaging as a notion of code mixing and translation. Further, translanguaging was found to be using as a strategy of fun making, and meaning making. Beside these, it [study] uncovered the fact that translanguaging was used for several purposes such as for the purpose of praising learners, for paraphrasing, for motivating, for content simplification, and for comprehension. This study consists of five chapters. The first chapter, introduction consists of background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, delimitations of the study, and operational definitions of the key terms. Similarly, chapter second deals with the review of theoretical and empirical literature along with its implications for the study. Moreover, it includes the conceptual framework. Likewise, the third chapter deals with the methodology of the study which covers design and method of the study, population, sample and sampling strategy, research tools, sources of data, data collection procedures, data analysis procedures, and ethical considerations. Likewise, the fourth chapter comprises the analysis and interpretation of the data. Finally, the fifth chapter incorporates the findings, conclusion, and recommendations of this study.