Translanguaging Pedagogy in the ESL Classroom: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The effects of technological advancements, globalization and social progress has enabled researchers and teachers to rediscover and innovate methods of English Language Teaching (ELT) to English as a Second Language (ESL) learners worldwide where more non-native speakers of English who identified as bilinguals or multilinguals enroll in English language classes to develop essential skills for international communication. Yet, teachers in ESL education stand by standardized and classic ELT methodology to teach all types of learners with strong emphasis on English-only use in the classroom in hopes of producing competent users of the English language. This long standing point of view has continually ignored bilingual and multilingual learners' potentials of learning a target language (L2) more effectively by accessing all linguistic resources from their first language (L1) or other familiar languages as a unified system through the practice of translanguaging. Therefore, this systematic literature review paper intends to explore the extent of current researches on translanguaging as an ESL pedagogy or ELT then highlight the potentials, considerations and trends of teaching and learning ESL with translingualism. A total 14 empirical journal articles related to the teaching practice were analysed to find out patterns in relevant research aims or purposes, research settings, research participants' education and multilingual backgrounds, research designs and data analysis used and considerations for ESL translanguaging pedagogy. This paper serves as a guide for ESL educators and researchers on the current use of translanguaging for developing ESL skills productively as well as recommendations for future research.

Students’ Attitude towards Translanguaging Strategy in a Classroom Setting at Private Universities of Lahore

“…Asslinguistic proficiency determines eligibility for natives; a native speaker is more than fluent in L1, and he can understand and can use colloquialisms, idioms, and phrases (Albers et al, 2009). Also, translanguaging is seen as an emerging trend in the teaching of English among language classrooms comprising greater number of multilinguals in recent times (Ooi and Aziz, 2021).…”

Indonesian Suburban Area EFL Teachers' Perspectives on Translanguaging

“…As a teaching strategy, translanguaging is frequently used, particularly in ESL and EFL classes (Barahona, 2020;Ooi & Aziz, 2021). According to recent research, translanguaging is a typical and unique habit among bilingual people and has a lot of potential as a teaching strategy.…”

Classroom Translanguaging as a Learning Strategy: Thai Secondary School Efl Students’ Perceptions

“…The translanguaging strategy requires both teachers and students to delve into both their L1 and L2 in order for students to better understand the teaching/learning contents (Boonsuk, Wasoh, & Ambele, 2023;Garcia, 2017;Ooi & Aziz, 2021;Chukwuemeka & Ambele, 2022;Champlin, 2016;Khojan, 2022). Translanguaging requires teachers to consider the student's linguistic background, personal experience, and home knowledge in order to help them communicate meaningfully in several languages (Pastushenkov, Green-Eneix & Pavlenko, 2021, p. 53).…”