Unpacking English Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices of Translanguaging: A Case Study of Secondary Schools in China

• Main Authors: Chen, Yuling, Fang, Fan, Zhang, Weilei
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: translanguaging; secondary school English teachers; EFL classrooms; practices; perceptions; Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education; Language and Literacy Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/jeal/vol3/iss2/1; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/jeal/article/1122/viewcontent/1_chen_revised.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Translanguaging has gained prominence as a viable tactic to assist the language learning of L2 learners due to the increasing variety of classrooms globally. Translanguaging pedagogy has been recently studied in diverse contexts. However, most of the research on translanguaging, especially in the Chinese context, is focused on higher education. Limited attention has been paid to secondary school. Therefore, this qualitative case study aims to fill this gap by investigating how language educators employ translanguaging in their English teaching in secondary schools. Data was collected from 4 Chinese EFL teachers across 2 secondary schools through classroom observation and semi-structured interviews, and analysed using thematic analysis. The data of classroom observation has generated six functions of translanguaging, including translation verbatim for understanding, proper noun/grammar explanation, reinforcement of instruction, check for understanding, fostering class rapport as well as encouragement and warning. The interview revealed that although all teachers perceive the usefulness of translanguaging in EFL classrooms, their practices exist incongruity with perceptions. Finally, implications for policymaker and language educators are highlighted, as well as limitations.