THE TRANSLANGUAGING APPROACH IN EFL SPEAKING: A SYNTHESIS OF KEY ISSUES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Châu Nguyễn Hoàng Long; Dương Thị Kim Oanh

doi:10.34238/tnu-jst.12579

THE TRANSLANGUAGING APPROACH IN EFL SPEAKING: A SYNTHESIS OF KEY ISSUES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

About this article

Received: 15/04/25 Revised: 26/06/25 Published: 26/06/25

Authors

1. Chau Nguyen Hoang Long , Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education
2. Duong Thi Kim Oanh, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education

Abstract

In contemporary multilingual educational settings, translanguaging has arisen as a transformative pedagogical strategy that contests conventional monolingual ideologies in the instruction of English to non-native speakers. This study aims to consolidate essential theoretical frameworks and empirical research outcomes on the implementation of translanguaging in English-speaking classrooms, with a particular focus on the educational context in Vietnam. The research employs a theoretical synthesis method, utilising over 50 peer-reviewed foreign and Vietnamese papers. A thematic content analysis was performed to investigate the following primary areas: (1) theoretical underpinnings of translanguaging, (2) perceptions of learners and teachers, and (3) pedagogical ramifications. The findings indicates that learners appreciate translanguaging as a means to enhance fluency and comprehension, although some voice apprehension regarding insufficient English exposure. Teachers employ translanguaging to enhance instructional clarity, foster relationships, and provide emotional support; yet, institutional policies and curriculum frameworks may hinder its application. The study also identifies mismatches in perceptions between teachers and students, suggesting the need for shared understanding. Finally, the study provides valuable insights for English language teachers, curriculum designers, and legislators to create more inclusive, identity-affirming, and effective language learning settings.

Keywords

Monolingual language; Bi/multilingual language; English speaking classroom; Perception; Translanguaging

Full Text:

PDF

References

REFERENCES

[1] S. P. Rao, "The Importance of Speaking Skills in English Classrooms," Alford Council of International English & Literature Journal, vol. 2, pp. 6-18, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.acielj.com/Papers/vol2issue2/1.ACIELJ%20-Srinu%20sir%20(1-12)%20OK.pdf. [Accessed Jun. 24, 2025].

[2] L. V. Tuyen and N. H. L. Phuong, “Factors Causing Reticence for Non-English Majored Students in Speaking Performance,” International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, vol. 6, no. 2, 2021, doi: 10.22161/ijels.62.39.

[3] L. Han and J. Zhang, "Translanguaging as method in science fiction story of your life," Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 14, no. 9, pp. 2702–2708, 2024, doi: 10.17507/tpls.1409.06

[4] T. T. H. Tran, T. N. P. Thach, and H. A. Tran, "The importance of translanguaging in improving fluency in speaking ability of non-English major sophomores," in Proceedings 18th International Conference of the Asia Association of Computer-Assisted Language Learning, (AsiaCALL–2-2021), 2021, pp. 1–7.

[5] N. Nurhamidah, E. Fauziati, and S. Supriyadi, “Code-switching in Efl Classroom: is IT Good or Bad?,” Journal of English Education, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 78–88, 2018, doi: 10.31327/jee.v3i2.861. [Online]. Available: https://www.neliti.com/publications/268572/code-switching-in-efl-classroom-is-it-good-or-bad#id-section-content. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[6] S. Noorbar and H. J. Mamaghani, "The effect of code-switching on Iranian elementary EFL learners’ oral fluency, accuracy, and willingness to communicate," Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 103–75, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://jmrels.journals.ikiu.ac.ir/article _1036_295b4e2b6924b20c49feec8331639892.pdf. [Accessed Jun. 24, 2025].

[7] Y. Masna, "EFL learners’ code-switching: Why do they switch the language?," Englisia: Journal of Language, Education, and Humanities, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 93–101, 2020, doi: 10.22373/ej.v8i1.6662.

[8] K. Zano and P. T. Mpiti, “Enhancing an equitable language learning environment through translanguaging in English language classrooms,” International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 436–444, 2025, doi: 10.36096/ijbes.v7i2.763.

[9] J. Franck and D. Papadopoulou, “Pedagogical translanguaging in L2 teaching for adult migrants: Assessing feasibility and emotional impact,” Education Sciences, vol. 14, no. 12, 2024, doi: 10.20944/preprints202409.0730.v1.

[10] A. D. Ali, “Translanguaging in multilingual university classrooms: Effects on students’ language skills and perceptions,” Bilingual Research Journal, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 186–210, 2024, doi: 10.1080/15235882.2024.2336942.

[11] T. Nurhadi, S. I. Nugraha, and I. Ridwan, “Exploring the implementation of task-based language teaching in teaching speaking to secondary EFL learners: A qualitative case study,” Professional Journal of English Education, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 1207–1219, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://journal.ikipsiliwangi.ac.id/ index.php/project/article/view/24162. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[12] P. K. Sah and G. Li, “Toward linguistic justice and inclusion for multilingual learners: Implications of selective translanguaging in English medium instruction classrooms,” Learning and Instruction, vol. 92, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101904. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[13] A. Blair, L. C. de Oliveira, and M. A. Avalos, “Expanding teacher understanding of scaffolding for multilingual learners using a language based approach to content instruction,” TESOL in Context, vol. 33, no. 1, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/tesol/article/view/2008/1712. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[14] A. Creese and A. Blackledge, "Translanguaging and Identity in Educational Settings," Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, vol. 35, pp. 20–35, 2015, doi: 10.1017/S0267190514000233.

[15] O. García and L. Wei, “From researching translanguaging to translanguaging research,” Research Methods in Language and Education, vol. 5, pp. 227-240, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://ofeliagarciadotorg. wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/li-wei-garcc3ada-o-2017.pdf. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[16] F. Fang, "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, 2020, doi: 10.1093/applin/amaa049.

[17] H. Liu, X. Zhang, and F. Fang, "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, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1908228. [Accessed Jun. 24, 2025].

[18] S. García-Mateus and D. Palmer, “Translanguaging Pedagogies for Positive Identities in Two-Way Dual Language Bilingual Education,” Journal of Language, Identity & Education, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 245–255, 2017, doi: 10.1080/15348458.2017.1329016.

[19] S. Canagarajah, Translingual practice: Global Englishes and cosmopolitan relations. London, England: Routledge, 2012, doi:10.4324/9780203073889.

[20] J. Conteh, “Translanguaging,” ELT Journal, vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 445–447, 2018, doi: 10.1093/elt/ccy034.

[21] N. H. Hornberger, Imagining multilingualism with Ofelia: Translanguaging and the continua of biliteracy, De Gruyter Brill, 2022.

[22] T. Q. Tran, "Translanguaging in English Language Teaching: From theory to practice," in Proc. 6th National Conference on Language and Language Teaching (NCOLLT), Universitas PGRI Adi Buana Surabaya, Indonesia, 2021, pp. 1-10.

[23] A. Novriansyah, “An analysis of code mixing used by university students in social media,” Research in English and Education Journal, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 90–102, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://jim.usk.ac.id/READ/article/view/25743/12044. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[24] A. S. A. Yousif, “Multilingualism in the digital age: Code-switching and translanguaging online,” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 1217–1225, 2025, doi: 10.17507/tpls.1504.20.

[25] L. Wei, L. Milroy, and P. S. Ching, "A two-step sociolinguistic analysis of code-switching and language choice: the example of a bilingual Chinese community in Britain," Routledge, 2020, pp. 182-213. [Online]. Available: https://vulms.vu.edu.pk/Courses/ENG512/Downloads/%5BLi_Wei%5D_The_Bilingualism_ Reader(BookFi).pdf#page=189. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[26] D. Liu, "A study of graduate students’ perceptions towards pedagogical translanguaging at an international university in Bangkok," Master thesis, Assumption University, Thailand, 2021.

[27] R. Otheguy, O. García, and W. Reid, "Clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: A perspective from linguistics," Applied Linguistics Review, vol. 6, pp. 281-307, 2015.

[28] S. Canagarajah, "Translanguaging in the classroom: Emerging issues for research and pedagogy," Applied Linguistics Review, vol. 2, pp. 1–28, 2011a, doi: 10.1515/9783110239331.1.

[29] O. García, Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective, Oxford, UK: Wiley Blackwell, 2009.

[30] M. Gort, The Complex and Dynamic Languaging Practices of Emergent Bilinguals: Translanguaging Across Diverse Education and Community Contexts, New York, NY, USA: Taylor & Francis, 2018.

[31] B. A. Paulsrud, J. Rosén, B. Straszer, and A. Wedin, New perspectives on translanguaging and education, Bristol, U.K.: Multilingual Matters, 2017.

[32] B. L. Motaung, “Translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy to implement multilingual language policy at a South African university,” Ph.D. dissertation, University of the Free State, 2021.

[33] A. Blackledge and A. Creese, “Translanguaging in performance: an ethnographic drama approach,” Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, pp. 1–12, 2023, doi: 10.1080/01434632.2023.2181965.

[34] J. Cenoz and D. Gorter, “Teaching English through pedagogical translanguaging,” World Englishes, vol. 39, pp. 300–311, 2020, doi: 10.1111/weng.12462.

[35] J. Cenoz and A. Santos, “Implementing pedagogical translanguaging in trilingual schools,” System, vol. 92, 2020, [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102273. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[36] A. J. Rivera and C. M. Mazak, "Analyzing student perceptions on translanguaging: A case study of a Puerto Rican university classroom," How, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 122–138, 2017.

[37] A. Muthanna and P. Miao, "Chinese students’ attitudes towards the use of English-medium instruction into curriculum courses: A case study of a national key university in Beijing," Journal of Education and Training Studies, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 59-69, 2015, doi: 10.11114/jets.v3i5.920.

[38] B. Brock-Utne, "The adoption of the Western paradigm of bilingual teaching – why does it not fit the African situation?," in Multilingualism – An African advantage. A paradigm shift in African language of instruction polices, K. K. Prah and B. Brock-Utne (Eds.), Cape Town: CASAS, 2009, pp. 18–51.

[39] R. Kircher, "Language attitudes among adolescents in Montreal: Potential lessons for language planning in Quebec," Nottingham French Studies, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 239-259, 2016, doi: 10.3366/nfs.2016.0151.

[40] J. Adamson and D. Coulson, “Translanguaging in English academic writing preparation,” International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 24–37, 2015, doi: 10.1080/22040552.2015.1084674.

[41] A. Carstens, "Translanguaging as a vehicle for L2 acquisition and L1 development: Students’ perceptions," Language Matters, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 203–222, 2016, doi: 10.1080/10228195.2016.1153135.

[42] H. Fives and M. M. Buehl, "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, American Psychological Association, 2012, pp. 471–499.

[43] W. Littlewood and B. Yu, "First language and target language in the foreign language classroom," Language Teaching, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 64-77, 2011, doi: 10.1017/S0261444809990310.

[44] M. Ö. Ölmez and Y. Kirkgöz, "Examining secondary school teachers’ beliefs and purposes about the use of L1 in foreign language classes," Education Quarterly Reviews, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 596-606, 2021, doi: 10.31014/aior.1993.04.02.269.

[45] O. García and A. M. Y. Lin, “Translanguaging in bilingual education,” in Bilingual and Multilingual Education, O. García, A. M. Y. Lin & S. May (Eds.), Springer, 2017, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-02258-1_9.

[46] R. Kubota, “Critical multiculturalism and second language education,” in Language Policy and Political Economy: English in a Global Context, T. Ricento (Ed.), Oxford University Press, 2020.

[47] A. M. Y. Lin, Introduction: Translanguaging and Translanguaging Pedagogies, Singapore: Springer, 2020.

[48] L. Makalela, “Moving out of linguistic boxes: The effects of translanguaging strategies for multilingual classrooms,” Language and Education, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 200–217, 2015, doi: 10.1080/09500782.2014.994524.

[49] F. Yuvayapan, "Translanguaging in EFL classrooms: Teachers’ perceptions and practices," Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 678-694, 2019, doi:10.17263/jlls.586811.

[50] Z. Tian, L. Aghai, P. Sayer, and J. L. Schissel, Envisioning TESOL through a translanguaging lens: Global perspectives, Springer Nature, 2020, pp. 1-20.

[51] T. B. H. Luong, "Exploring the usefulness of translanguaging in a Ha Nam high school: An exploratory action research project," Master’s thesis, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2020.

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

[53] T. M. T. Vu, "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, 2022.

[54] T. K. Pham and T. H. V. Vu, "Vietnamese EFL secondary teachers’ translanguaging use and their perceptions," HCMCOUJS - Social Sciences, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 37-54, 2023, doi: 10.46223/HCMCOUJS.soci.en.13.2.2608.2023

[55] R. Riswanto, “Exploring translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy used by the English teacher in EFL classroom setting,” JPGI (Jurnal Penelitian Guru Indonesia), vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 96–103, 2022, doi: 10.29210/021948jpgi0005. [Online]. Available: https://jurnal.iicet.org/index.php/jpgi/article/view/1948/ 1043. [Accessed Jun. 25, 2025].

[56] I. Papadopoulos and P. S. Jansen, “Insider Views and Practices of Translanguaging Classrooms in Early Childhood Education,” World Journal of Educational Research, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 1–21, 2024, doi: 10.22158/wjer.v11n3p1.

[57] A. Mendoza, L. Hamman-Ortiz, Z. Tian, S. Rajendram, K. W. H. Tai, W. Y. J. Ho, and P. K. Sah, “Sustaining Critical Approaches to Translanguaging in Education: A Contextual Framework,” TESOL J., vol. 58, pp. 664–692, 2024, doi: 10.1002/tesq.3240.

[58] S. Rajendram, "Translanguaging as an agentive, collaborative and socioculturally responsive pedagogy for multilingual learners," Doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, Canada, 2019.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.12579

Refbacks

There are currently no refbacks.



Remember me