Instructors' Perceptions of Translanguaging in Saudi Higher Education: The Influence of Language Ideologies and Students' Language Proficiency.

Abstract

In pedagogy, translanguaging shifts away from monolingual instruction by leveraging multilingual learners’ unitary linguistic repertoire as a valuable resource in the learning process (García and Li 2013). While translanguaging can be beneficial for achieving various learning goals, many English language teaching (ELT) classrooms are dominated by monolingual ideologies and policies that limit the full potential of pedagogical translanguaging. Nevertheless, the literature reveals that instructors may proactively utilise multilingual resources to meet their students’ needs even within the constraints of monolingual policies. This study aims to investigate the perceptions and experiences of Saudi higher education (HE) instructors in relation to translanguaging. It further explores how instructors’ language ideologies and their students’ language proficiency might influence their perceptions of translanguaging. The study adopted a convergent mixed-methods design to explore instructors’ perceptions of translanguaging. The analysis examined 48 survey responses and four semi-structured interviews with instructors from various HE institutions in Saudi Arabia. The findings reveal that instructors hold diverse perspectives on translanguaging, with a generally positive prevailing attitude. However, a prevalent monolingual ideology seems to influence the perception and reported application of translanguaging, even among those employing multilingual resources. Translanguaging found the most support when adapting instructions for students with low proficiency levels. Instructors were also more inclined to support their own use of translanguaging than that of their students, primarily due to concerns about hindering L2 learning. The study calls for a comprehensive strategy targeting instructors, students, and policymakers in Saudi higher education to combat the prevalence of monolingual bias, particularly in ELT.